Cron jobs fail with PAM error "Authentication token is no longer valid"

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Environment

All SUSE Linux

Situation

Cron jobs are failing to run, and the errors similar to the following are seen in system logs:

crond[9876543]: (root) PAM ERROR (Authentication token is no longer valid; new one required)

When the following command is run, it is indicated in the output that the password must be changed:

chage -l root

Resolution

The password for the root user is too old and must be updated. The password can be changed with the following command:

passwd

Cause

The password for the root user is too old.

Disclaimer

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