The file etc-gshadow
/etc/gshadow is a file readable only by root and by users with root privileges that contains encrypted passwords for groups, each on a separate line:
developer:$6$7QUIhUX1WdO6$H7kOYgsboLkDseFHpk04lwAtweSUQHipoxIgo83QNDxYtYwgmZTCU0qSCuCkErmyR2 63rvHiLctZVDR7Ya9Ai1::
Each line consists of four colon-delimited fields:
| Fields | Description |
|---|---|
Group name |
The name of the group. |
Encrypted password |
The encrypted password for the group (it is used when a user, who is not a member of the group, wants to join the group using the newgrp command — if the password starts with !, no one is allowed to access the group with newgrp). |
Group administrators |
A comma-delimited list of the administrators of the group (they can change the password of the group and can add or remove group members with the gpasswd command). |
Group members |
A comma-delimited list of the members of the group. |