---
name: "pam_rhosts"
section: "8"
platform: "freebsd"
package: "base"
version: "16.0-CURRENT-20261027-61c70dc16a79"
release: "FreeBSD 16.0-CURRENT (2026-10-27)"
platforms: ["linux", "freebsd"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/pam_rhosts"
---

# pam\_rhosts(8)

Rhosts PAM module

## NAME

**pam\_rhosts** – Rhosts PAM module

## SYNOPSIS

\[*service-name*\] *module-type* *control-flag* *pam\_rhosts* \[*options*\]

## DESCRIPTION

The rhosts authentication service module for PAM, **pam\_rhosts** provides functionality for only one PAM category: authentication. In terms of the *module-type* parameter, this is the “auth” feature.

### Rhosts Authentication Module

The Rhosts authentication component (**pam\_sm\_authenticate**()), returns success if and only if the target user's UID is not 0 and the remote host and user are listed in */etc/hosts.equiv* or in the target user's *~/.rhosts*.

The following options may be passed to the authentication module:

- **debug**

  [syslog(3)](/syslog/3.md) debugging information at LOG\_DEBUG level.

- **no\_warn**

  suppress warning messages to the user. These messages include reasons why the user's authentication attempt was declined.

- **allow\_root**

  do not automatically fail if the target user's UID is 0.

## SEE ALSO

[pam(3)](/pam/3.md), [hosts.equiv(5)](/hosts.equiv/5.md), [pam.conf(5)](/pam.conf/5.md)

## AUTHORS

The **pam\_rhosts** module and this manual page were developed for the FreeBSD Project by ThinkSec AS and NAI Labs, the Security Research Division of Network Associates, Inc. under DARPA/SPAWAR contract N66001-01-C-8035 (“CBOSS”), as part of the DARPA CHATS research program.