[Pkg-shadow-devel] Bug#614946: Bug#614946: passwd: /usr/sbin/groupadd fails because it cannot rename /etc/group.

[Nicolas François]

Hello,

On Thu, Feb 24, 2011 at 11:56:18AM +0000, jeremy at azazel.net wrote:
> 
> aptitude failed to install the pcscd package failed because the postinst
> script could not add the pcscd group.  It turned out that /usr/sbin/groupadd
> was failing, because it could not rename /etc/group+ to /etc/group and I had to
> edit /etc/group manually.  I have reproduced the problem below:
> 
>   [root at ulthar:/etc] # groupadd grptest
>   groupadd: failure while writing changes to /etc/group
>   [root at ulthar:/etc] # strace -e rename groupadd grptest
>   rename("/etc/group+", "/etc/group")     = -1 EBUSY (Device or resource busy)
>   groupadd: failure while writing changes to /etc/group
> 
> Move and patch also fail:
> 
>   [root at ulthar:/etc] # mv group+ group
>   mv: cannot move `group+' to `group': Device or resource busy

You will have to find our why this happen.

Did you mount /etc in a special way?
Did you setup special protections for these files?
Do you have a rootkit?

-- 
Nekral