For every (successful) ssh-connection we got an additional annoying entry in /var/log/messages like the following: Jun 19 09:06:57 LIN3135 pam_afs[5913]: AFS Won't use illegal password for user usenbinz The OpenAFS PAM module posts this message when it is called for authentication with an (disallowed) empty password. The simple patch below checks PermitEmptyPasswords in sshd_config before trying to authenticate with an empty password. This ssh option was previously ignored when PAM accepted empty passwords, but I think it is ok when a ssh option overrules PAM for a ssh connection... Setting PermitEmptyPasswords to yes will result in the old behaviour. Note that while the patch below is for the CVS version I have only tested the behaviour based on an old openssh 1.2.2 tarball from a Suse 6.4 distribution. I haven't yet figured out why, but the stuff from CVS in openbsd-compat fails to compile miserably on my systems... ==================================================================RCS file: /cvs/openssh_cvs/auth1.c,v retrieving revision 1.41 diff -u -r1.41 auth1.c --- auth1.c 2001/06/05 18:56:17 1.41 +++ auth1.c 2001/06/19 06:41:35 @@ -83,7 +83,7 @@ authctxt->valid ? "" : "illegal user ", authctxt->user); /* If the user has no password, accept authentication immediately. */ - if (options.password_authentication && + if (options.password_authentication && options.permit_empty_passwd && #ifdef KRB4 (!options.kerberos_authentication || options.kerberos_or_local_passwd) && #endif