[Samba] ntlm_auth not returning "STATUS_OK"

[Rowland Penny]

On Tue, 23 Jan 2024 17:07:35 -0500
Mark Foley via samba <samba at lists.samba.org> wrote:

> On Mon Jan 22 11:00:59 2024 Mark Foley via samba
> <samba at lists.samba.org> wrote:
> >
> > I have scripts that runs ntlm_auth. Before upgrading my DC to
> > 4.18.9 I would get text string output from the ntlm_auth command.
> > For example:
> >
> > STATUS_NO_SUCH_USER
> > NT_STATUS_WRONG_PASSWORD
> > STATUS_OK
> >
> > My script(s) look for these strings. 
> >
> > Now with the new Samba, the first two strings are output as usual
> > in the case of non-existant user and invalid password,
> > respectively, but if the user/pw is OK it now returns the string:
> > ":  (0x0)", which, I suppose, is the exit status of the ntlm_auth
> > command meaning OK.
> >
> > Is there an option to change this back to the string "STATUS_OK"?
> > If not, I'll change my programs, but I'd rather not do that.
> 
> After more investigation, I find that on another system running Samba
> 4.15.13 and ntlm_auth version 4.15.13 it continues to print
> "NT_STATUS_OK: The operation completed successfully. (0x0)" when
> 'ntlm_auth --username user --password pw' is run. 
> 
> So, Samba/ntlm_auth version 4.18.9 changes that to print ": (0x0)".
> 
> I have never been in favor of developers changing the behavoir of
> programs when "new features" come out, expecially programs that might
> be used in scripts that rely on responses.  I think it's naughty when
> developers do that.  If behavoir is different from a previous
> version, then the new version ought to have a different name or a
> switch enabling the new/changed feature. 
> 
> Since the 4.18.9 ntlm_auth output has an oddly placed colon (:) in
> the string, as if some text was supposed to come before that, I'll
> assume this was an inadvertant omission and not a deliberate change
> to the output response of this program, espcially given that the
> other responses (full text):
> 
> NT_STATUS_NO_SUCH_USER: The specified account does not exist.
> (0xc0000064) NT_STATUS_WRONG_PASSWORD: When trying to update a
> password, this return status indicates that the value provided as the
> current password is not correct. (0xc000006a)
> 
> are unchanged. The Samba developers are certainly too seasoned to do
> that deliberately.
> 
> Meanwhile, I'll change my programs to look for "(0x0)" as both
> versions have that, and maybe I'll just look for the 0x codes for all.
> 
> --Mark
> 
> 

Sooner or later, ntlm_auth wil be removed, so if you can find another
way for your script to do what it is doing now, then you may be wise to
do so.
In the meantime, it might be a good idea to log a bug report.

Rowland