Mastering Linux Security and Hardening

Locking user accounts

Okay, you've just seen how to have Linux automatically lock user accounts that are under attack. There will also be times when you'll want to be able to manually lock out user accounts. Let us look at the following example:

• When a user goes on vacation and you want to ensure that nobody monkeys around with that user's account while he or she is gone
• When a user is under investigation for questionable activities
• When a user leaves the company

In regard to the last point, you may be asking yourself, "Why can't we just delete the accounts of people who are no working here?" And, you certainly can, easily enough. However, before you do so, you'll need to check with your local laws to make sure that you don't get yourself ...