Authentication token manipulation error

Ehmad November 14, 2024

The “Authentication token manipulation error” in Debian usually indicates an issue with permissions or file corruption in authentication-related files. Here’s a step-by-step guide to troubleshoot and fix this:

1. Check if You’re Root or Have Sudo Privileges

Make sure you’re running the passwd command as a root user or with sudo privileges. Run:
```
sudo passwd ahmad
```
If you’re still encountering the same issue, proceed with the next steps.

2. Ensure Filesystem is Not Mounted as Read-Only

Sometimes, the filesystem is in read-only mode, which prevents changes to authentication files.
To check if the root filesystem is read-only, run:
```
mount | grep ' / '
```
If you see ro (read-only), remount it as read-write:
```
sudo mount -o remount,rw /
```

3. Check Disk Space

Lack of disk space can cause this error. Check available disk space with:
```
df -h
```
If your root partition (usually /) is full, try to free up space.

4. Check Permissions of Authentication Files

Make sure the permissions on key files are correct:
```
sudo ls -l /etc/passwd /etc/shadow /etc/gshadow
```

The permissions should look like this:

-rw-r--r-- 1 root root  /etc/passwd
-rw------- 1 root shadow /etc/shadow
-rw------- 1 root shadow /etc/gshadow

If they don’t match, set them manually:

sudo chmod 644 /etc/passwd
sudo chmod 640 /etc/shadow
sudo chmod 640 /etc/gshadow

5. Try Resetting the Password Again

After performing the above steps, try resetting the password again:

sudo passwd ahmad

6. Reboot as a Last Resort

If none of the above steps work, try rebooting the system to see if it resolves the issue:
```
sudo reboot
```

If the error persists after following these steps, there may be a deeper issue with the system files.