---
name: "pam_group"
section: "8"
platform: "linux"
package: "pam"
version: "1.7.3-1"
release: "Arch Linux 2026-11-01"
platforms: ["linux", "freebsd", "macos"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/pam_group"
---

# pam\_group(8)

PAM module for group access

## NAME

pam\_group - PAM module for group access

## SYNOPSIS

**pam\_group.so**

## DESCRIPTION

The pam\_group PAM module does not authenticate the user, but instead it grants group memberships (in the credential setting phase of the authentication module) to the user. Such memberships are based on the service they are applying for.

By default rules for group memberships are taken from config file /etc/security/group.conf.

This module's usefulness relies on the file-systems accessible to the user. The point being that once granted the membership of a group, the user may attempt to create a **setgid** binary with a restricted group ownership. Later, when the user is not given membership to this group, they can recover group membership with the precompiled binary. The reason that the file-systems that the user has access to are so significant, is the fact that when a system is mounted *nosuid* the user is unable to create or execute such a binary file. For this module to provide any level of security, all file-systems that the user has write access to should be mounted *nosuid*.

The pam\_group module functions in parallel with the /etc/group file. If the user is granted any groups based on the behavior of this module, they are granted *in addition* to those entries /etc/group (or equivalent).

## OPTIONS

This module does not recognise any options.

## MODULE TYPES PROVIDED

Only the **auth** module type is provided.

## RETURN VALUES

PAM\_SUCCESS

group membership was granted.

PAM\_ABORT

Not all relevant data could be gotten.

PAM\_BUF\_ERR

Memory buffer error.

PAM\_CRED\_ERR

Group membership was not granted.

PAM\_IGNORE

**pam\_sm\_authenticate** was called which does nothing.

PAM\_USER\_UNKNOWN

The user is not known to the system.

## FILES

/etc/security/group.conf

Default configuration file

## SEE ALSO

[**group.conf**(5)](/group.conf/5.md), [**pam.d**(5)](/pam.d/5.md), [**pam**(8)](/pam/8.md).

## AUTHORS

pam\_group was written by Andrew G. Morgan \<morgan@kernel.org\>.