[Bug 1822501] [NEW] chpasswd mishandles --root option

[Colin Hogben]

Public bug reported:

I did

  echo root:secret | chpasswd --root=/mnt/img

I expected the password to be changed on the mounted filesystem at /mnt/img
Instead, it changed the password on the host filesystem.

Although the chpasswd(1) manual page does not list --root=CHROOT_DIR as
valid syntax, it is common for programs to accept both --arg param and
--arg=param as valid syntax (as per gnu getopt_long).  At the very
least, chpasswd should fail with an error report if unacceptable option
syntax is used, rather than ignoring it.

passwd 1:4.5-1ubuntu1 on Ubuntu 18.04.2 LTS

(though bug tracker seems to think this does not exist in Ubuntu)

** Affects: shadow (Ubuntu)
     Importance: Undecided
         Status: New

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https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/1822501

Title:
  chpasswd mishandles --root option

Status in shadow package in Ubuntu:
  New

Bug description:
  I did

    echo root:secret | chpasswd --root=/mnt/img

  I expected the password to be changed on the mounted filesystem at /mnt/img
  Instead, it changed the password on the host filesystem.

  Although the chpasswd(1) manual page does not list --root=CHROOT_DIR
  as valid syntax, it is common for programs to accept both --arg param
  and --arg=param as valid syntax (as per gnu getopt_long).  At the very
  least, chpasswd should fail with an error report if unacceptable
  option syntax is used, rather than ignoring it.

  passwd 1:4.5-1ubuntu1 on Ubuntu 18.04.2 LTS

  (though bug tracker seems to think this does not exist in Ubuntu)

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