PAMNEWAUTHTOKREQD

PAMNEWAUTHTOKREQD, commonly seen in documentation as PAM_NEW_AUTHTOK_REQD, is a return code used within the Pluggable Authentication Modules (PAM) framework. It denotes that a user’s authentication token must be changed before authentication can continue. In PAM terms, the token is typically a password or other secret used for proving identity.

The code arises when a PAM module determines that the current token is expired, has aged beyond policy limits, or was never set. It can also be triggered by administrative actions that require a password reset, or by policies that require the user to change their password upon first login. When PAMNEW_AUTHTOK_REQD is returned, the application relying on PAM is expected to prompt the user to supply a new token and then update the stored credential accordingly.

In practical use, this status is most common during login, sudo, or other authentication-requiring services on Unix-like systems. The system will typically present a prompt to input a new password, verify its validity against policy rules (such as complexity and length), and then apply the change to the appropriate backend (for example, a password database, directory service, or other credential store). Once the new token is accepted, authentication can proceed with the updated credential.

Understanding PAM_NEW_AUTHTOK_REQD helps administrators diagnose password aging and reset workflows, and developers recognize a controlled flow where users are required to set a new authentication token before further access is granted. It is part of the broader PAM error and status coding used to manage authentication processes across diverse services.