weird: suppose, a user has been locked with passwd -l. But if this user has the possibility to ssh to this host (where he is locked) without password query, then he can login although he has been locked. I guess this may be controlled by /etc/ssh/sshd_config. How to prevent from this? All hints are welcome. ------------------------------------- Are you logging in using ssh with your key already on the host? i.e., when you log in using ssh, does it ask you for the password or does it just let you in because the user's key has been installed at the remoet end? -- Time flies like the wind. Fruit flies like a banana. Stranger things have .0. happened but none stranger than this. Does your driver's license say Organ ..0 Donor?Black holes are where God divided by zero. Listen to me! We are all- 000 individuals! What if this weren't a hypothetical question? steveo at syslang.net