Tag: password

Waiting for PostgreSQL 10 – Support SCRAM-SHA-256 authentication (RFC 5802 and 7677).

On 7th of March 2017, Heikki Linnakangas committed patch:

Support SCRAM-SHA-256 authentication (RFC 5802 and 7677).
 
 
This introduces a new generic SASL authentication method, similar to the
GSS and SSPI methods. The server first tells the client which SASL
authentication mechanism to use, and then the mechanism-specific SASL
messages are exchanged in AuthenticationSASLcontinue and PasswordMessage
messages. Only SCRAM-SHA-256 is supported at the moment, but this allows
adding more SASL mechanisms in the future, without changing the overall
protocol.
 
Support for channel binding, aka SCRAM-SHA-256-PLUS is left for later.
 
The SASLPrep algorithm, for pre-processing the password, is not yet
implemented. That could cause trouble, if you use a password with
non-ASCII characters, and a client library that does implement SASLprep.
That will hopefully be added later.
 
Authorization identities, as specified in the SCRAM-SHA-256 specification,
are ignored. SET SESSION AUTHORIZATION provides more or less the same
functionality, anyway.
 
If a user doesn't exist, perform a "mock" authentication, by constructing
an authentic-looking challenge on the fly. The challenge is derived from
a new system-wide random value, "mock authentication nonce", which is
created at initdb, and stored in the control file. We go through these
motions, in order to not give away the information on whether the user
exists, to unauthenticated users.
 
Bumps PG_CONTROL_VERSION, because of the new field in control file.
 
Patch by Michael Paquier and Heikki Linnakangas, reviewed at different
stages by Robert Haas, Stephen Frost, David Steele, Aleksander Alekseev,
and many others.
 
Discussion: https://www.postgresql.org/message-id/CAB7nPqRbR3GmFYdedCAhzukfKrgBLTLtMvENOmPrVWREsZkF8g%40mail.gmail.com
Discussion: https://www.postgresql.org/message-id/CAB7nPqSMXU35g%3DW9X74HVeQp0uvgJxvYOuA4A-A3M%2B0wfEBv-w%40mail.gmail.com
Discussion: https://www.postgresql.org/message-id/.6080106@iki.fi

Continue reading Waiting for PostgreSQL 10 – Support SCRAM-SHA-256 authentication (RFC 5802 and 7677).

Auto refreshing password file for pgbouncer

As you perhaps know I'm fan of pgbouncer – connection pooling solution for PostgreSQL.

It can do many really cool things, but has one slight issue.

Since it can reuse connections – it has to provide a way to check if user supplied password is correct without consulting database. And it lately (since 9.0 to be exact) became somewhat of a problem.

Continue reading Auto refreshing password file for pgbouncer

Waiting for 8.5 – checking password strength

On 18th of November Tom Lane committed patch by Laurenz Albe which adds very interesting capability:

ADD a hook TO CREATE/ALTER ROLE TO allow an external module TO CHECK the
strength OF DATABASE passwords, AND CREATE a sample implementation OF
such a hook AS a NEW contrib module "passwordcheck".
 
Laurenz Albe, reviewed BY Takahiro Itagaki

Continue reading Waiting for 8.5 – checking password strength

Recovering from a lost PostgreSQL password.

Let's say you're in situation when you have to connect to PostgreSQL, but you have no idea on what password might be set. But some definitely is, as you get this error message:

=> psql
Password:
psql: FATAL:  password authentication failed for user "depesz"

Continue reading Recovering from a lost PostgreSQL password.