Unable to change password

UNIX HP-UX
1

I need to change password of a non-root user on HPUX. Due to some local policy, it is not allowing me to do so. I need to keep same (previous) password, as that is application user. Can I bypass policy for this time, for this user somehow ? I am root on this machine.

# uname -a
HP-UX thprnv02 B.11.23 U 9000/800 2363933443 unlimited-user license
# passwd grewd8a
Changing password for grewd8a
Last successful password change for grewd8a: Mon Jan 28 13:30:38 2013
Last unsuccessful password change for grewd8a: Mon Jan 28 13:30:12 2013
Do you want (choose one letter only):
        pronounceable passwords generated for you (g)
        a string of characters generated (c) ?
        a string of letters generated (l) ?
        to pick your passwords (p) ?
Enter choice here: p
New password:
You may not re-use the same password.
Password must contain at least two alphabetic characters and
at least one numeric or special character.
2

Try

# /sbin/passwd username

That should bypass the security policy.

Cheers,
ZB

3

If I get you correcetly, you want to "change" the user's password to the same string, which passwd does not allow you to do and which is not too logical either, btw. Why "change" at all? Is it to overcome sth like the password age restrictions? Then - why not modify those for that special user?

4

On trussted systems there is a file called "/etc/default/security". Check the value of PASSWORD_HISTORY_DEPTH.
for example PASSWORD_HISTORY_DEPTH=5, this will not allow you to use the same five last passwords you have been used. You can now just reset user's password five times to some random passwords, and the next time it will allow you to reset password to which you want.