> Source: [sk112833](https://support.checkpoint.com/results/sk/sk112833)

# sk112833 - "Authentication failure" message appears in /var/log/messages repeatedly 

| Property | Value |
|----------|-------|
| Solution ID | sk112833 |
| Date Created | 2016-08-18 |
| Last Modified | 2018-08-05 |
| Technical Level | Advanced |
| Products | Security Gateway, Security Management Server |
| Versions | R82.10, R82, R81.20, R82.10, R82, R81.20, R82.20 |
| OS | Gaia |

## Symptoms

- The `/var/log/messages` file is flooded with messages:

```

login: pam_unix(login:auth): bad username
FAILED LOGIN 1 FROM (null) FOR *************, Authentication failure
```

## Cause

The error message indicates that device is connected via console port of the device and is attempting to authenticate via the login prompt.

More error messages of this type:

* *pam_unix(**login:auth**): authentication -*indicates a failure via console.
* *pam_unix(**httpd:auth**): bad username -*indicates a failure via WebUI.
* *pam_unix(**sshd:auth**): bad username -*indicates a failure via SSH.

## Solution

This solution requires authentication. Please log in to view the full solution.

---

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