#517726 in.uucpd fails to validate password

Package:
uucp
Source:
uucp
Description:
Unix to Unix Copy Program
Submitter:
Hanno Hecker
Date:
2026-05-22 10:11:01 UTC
Severity:
normal
#517726#5
Date:
2009-03-01 17:40:15 UTC
From:
To:
When connecting with a uucico to in.uucpd via stunnel, the login /
password dialog times out. Straceing in.uucpd shows

[pid 24287] write(2, "Password: "..., 10) = 10
[pid 24287] read(0,  <unfinished ...>
[pid 24287] <... read resumed> "x"..., 1) = 1
[pid 24287] read(0, "x"..., 1)          = 1
[pid 24287] read(0, "x"..., 1)          = 1
[pid 24287] read(0, "x"..., 1)          = 1
[pid 24287] read(0, "x"..., 1)          = 1
[pid 24287] read(0, "x"..., 1)          = 1
[pid 24287] read(0, "x"..., 1)          = 1
[pid 24287] read(0, "x"..., 1)          = 1
[pid 24287] read(0, "x"..., 1)          = 1
[pid 24287] read(0, "\r"..., 1)         = 1
[pid 24287] read(0, 0xbfc2b006, 1)      = ? ERESTARTSYS (To be restarted)
[pid 24287] --- SIGALRM (Alarm clock) @ 0 (0) ---

The password prompt is sent by libpam_misc's conv function. Earlier
versions (etch) just slurped in the whole password string and worked
as expected.
Lenny's misc_conv() function of libpam reads one charachter up to a '\n'.
This '\n' is never sent by uucico...

#517726#10
Date:
2009-03-01 18:08:00 UTC
From:
To:
A workaround for clients may be to use
  chat ogin: \L word: \P\r\n\c
or
  chat ogin: \L word: \P\n\c
as chat script instead of
  chat ogin: \L word: \P

	Hanno

#517726#15
Date:
2026-05-13 12:41:03 UTC
From:
To:
Hi,

After many years of working with V2 and HDB, I want to use Taylor uucp on 2
local debian systems via tcp. I could not get it working and spent days on
it because I assumed it was a problem in the (for me unfamiliar) Taylor
configuration files. I checked amd rechecked and then thought perhaps it
was the old linux releases running on the 2 machines that were causing the
problem?

So I did the following:
I created 2 new virtual box virtual machines on a windows laptop. Both
minimal installation debian 13.4 (no graphics). I then installed uucp on
both and followed the documentation to the letter but had the same problems
as before.

There is a timeout after a login attempt. Adding the \r\c or \c workarounds
suggested by Hanno did not work for me, but changed the Debug info and I
now get a
   zget_uucp_cmd: Got " Login incorrect ...
line in Debug.

Has this bug been addressed? For as far as I can see it was reported in
2009 (running version 19) but  years later it seems it is not fixed.

I am not running in.uucpd (as originally reported) but uucico.

Some help would be appreciated.

Thanks,

Albert

#517726#20
Date:
2026-05-22 10:10:03 UTC
From:
To:
Hi,

After spending another week on this problem, I have an easy workaround that
fixes the issue.
In the past I used uucp for dial-up, dial-in and direct rs-232 connections,
but never via networks. Being unfamiliar with the different programs
available and involved to setup the "dial-in" side (e.g. inetd, systemd,
in.uucpd, tcpd. etc.), as possibly other old uucp users are as well, I took
quite a bit of time to find a solution. It turns out to be quite simple.

Enclosed in the uucp package is a file to start the uucpd listening daemon.
The file is debian/uucp/lib/systemd/system/uucp@.service. After
installation the file can be found at /usr/lib/systemd/system/uucp@.service.
The file does not exist on a clean debian install before the uucp package
is installed.

The file contents is:
[Unit]
Description=UUCP server
Wants=network.target
Documentation=http://airs.com/ian/uucp.html

[Service]
User=uucp
ExecStart=-/usr/sbin/in.uucpd
StandardInput=socket

I changed the ExecStart line, replacing "in.uucpd" by "uucico -l"  as shown
below, and now have a working system.
ExecStart=-/usr/sbin/uucico -l

This is a workaround, and not a solution. It will probably have security
issues, but then again if you are using uucp unencrypted (like I am in a
home network) you are (or should be) well aware of those issues anyway.
I hope that this may help others running into the same or similar issues.

PS To find out what was wrong, I created multiple virtual Debian 13.4 and
FreeBSD15 machines. The problem does not occur in FreeBSD, where uucp works
fine over tcp straight after installation. The problem seems to be debian
related.