Using chfn

The chfn command runs an interactive process that enables you to set more personal information into your account. That way, when you run finger, you can get more detail. Run chfn on a command line without any options, as follows:

>chfn

Changing finger information for rob.
Password: *****
Enter the new value, or press ENTER for the default
Full Name: Robert Shimonski
Room Number: 13
Work Phone: (212)123-4567
Home Phone: (212)234-5678
Other: 0
Finger information changed.

Once you see “Finger information changed,” you can run finger again and view the changes that you made. Again, although this command is helpful, it's not often used in light of today's messaging applications and portable databases that can be accessed using mobile phones, pocket PCs, and so on.

Disable finger Many Unix and Linux distributions install default services that are little used and have a poor security history. As security becomes more of an issue, you may find yourself sitting at one of the most locked-down systems you have ever seen. Why? For one, the protocol based around the finger utility is as insecure as someone standing over your shoulder trying to capture your credentials as you type them.

In addition, finger uses clear text (not encrypted text) by default and has notoriously been the target of hackers. Because finger is a program that displays information about a particular user or all users logged on to a system, it would make sense that it would be the target of any hacker, attacker, or exploiter of good. Unless disabled, finger will continue to be a source of good information for these individuals.


So now that you know how to change your shell and alter your password and personal information, let's turn our attention to monitoring your Unix system. In the next section, we will cover a few commands that can help you manage Unix. They are date, uptime, and who.

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