You can use usermod or passwd command to disable existing user accounts. For new user accounts edit /etc/default/useradd file. The date on which the user account will be disabled is defined using the following syntax while adding user account:
useradd -e YYYY-MM-DD -option1 -option 2username
If -e not specified, useradd command will use the default expiry date specified by the EXPIRE variable in /etc/default/useradd, or an empty string (no expiry) by default. Edit /etc/default/useradd, enter:
# vi /etc/default/useradd
Set it as follows:
INACTIVE=30
Save and close the file. The number of days after a password expires until the account is permanently disabled is now set to 30. A value of 0 disables the account as soon as the password has expired, and a value of -1 disables the feature. If INACTIVE=60 and if the password is about to expire, then 60 days remain until the account is automatically disabled.
How do I disable existing user account?
The syntax is:
passwd -l userNameHere
OR
usermod -L -e 1 userNameHere
OR
usermod -L -e 1970-01-01 userNameHere
The last syntax is recommended. See man page for more details:
man passwd
man useradd
man usermod
See also
- HowTO: Linux Disable a User Account Command
- Help: Old Employees Accessing The Linux Server
- man pages chage, passwd, usermod, and useradd
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