set password for live user

[Tzafrir Cohen]

Hi

I attach an initramfs hook script I added to my live CD
(config/chroot_local-includes/usr/share/initramfs-tools/scripts/) to be
able to set a different password for the live user.

The change can be from either a new command-line parameter
'password=<newpassword>' or through setting PASSWORD=<newpassword> in
the file live.cfg on the live media (which is probably handy for USB).

What do you think about using such a file?


Rationale: my live CD exposes an ssh server by default, which is a basic
requirement. I would thus like to allow the user to give some minimal
security from remote attackers who happen to read the documentation that
includes the default password.

I don't intend to hid that password from any other local users.

-- 
               Tzafrir Cohen
icq#16849755              jabber:tzafrir.co...@xorcom.com
+972-50-7952406           mailto:tzafrir.co...@xorcom.com
http://www.xorcom.com  iax:gu...@local.xorcom.com/tzafrir

#!/bin/sh

#set -e

# initramfs-tools header

PREREQ=""

prereqs() {
        echo "${PREREQ}"
}

case "${1}" in
        prereqs)
                prereqs
                exit 0
                ;;
esac

# life-initramfs header

. /scripts/live-functions

# life-initramfs script

if [ -f "/root/live/image/live.cfg" ]
then
        # Make sure we have a Unix (and not DOS/Mac) text file
        sed -e 's/\r\n/\n/' -e 's/\r/\n/g' \
                <"/root/live/image/live.cfg" >/tmp/live.cfg
        . /tmp/live.cfg
fi

# Extra boot parameters:
for ARGUMENT in $(cat /proc/cmdline)
do
        case "${ARGUMENT}" in
                password=*) PASSWORD="${ARGUMENT#password=}";;
        esac
done

# If it was not set, one way or the other, we have nothing to do:
if [ ! "${PASSWORD}" ]
then
        exit 0
fi

log_begin_msg "Setting a custom password for the default user"

echo "${USERNAME}:${PASSWORD}" | chroot /root /usr/sbin/chpasswd

log_end_msg