SQL*Plus on UNIX and ps -ef

This example was tested on an Oracle 10 database running on Solaris.

Imagine you have a UNIX user called smithj. He logs into the system database user as follows:

TEST10 > whoami

smithj

TEST10 > sqlplus system/secret

SQL*Plus: Release 10.2.0.3.0 - Production on Tue Apr 26 15:13:23 2011

Copyright (c) 1982, 2006, Oracle.  All Rights Reserved.

Connected to:

Oracle Database 10g Enterprise Edition Release 10.2.0.3.0 - 64bit Production

With the Partitioning, OLAP and Data Mining options

SQL>

However, while he is doing this, another user, e.g. bloggsf, can use the ps command to see the password for the system database user as follows:

TEST10 > whoami

bloggsf

TEST10 > ps -ef|grep sqlplus|grep -v grep

smithj 4324 29829 0 15:13:23 pts/12 0:00 sqlplus system/secret
TEST10 >

To stop this happening, smithj should login to the database with the username and wait for Oracle to prompt him for the password:

TEST10 > sqlplus system

SQL*Plus: Release 10.2.0.3.0 - Production on Tue Apr 26 16:12:37 2011

Copyright (c) 1982, 2006, Oracle.  All Rights Reserved.

Enter password:

Connected to:

Oracle Database 10g Enterprise Edition Release 10.2.0.3.0 - 64bit Production

With the Partitioning, OLAP and Data Mining options

SQL>

Then bloggsf can see that smithj has logged in to the system user but cannot see the password:

TEST10 > ps -ef|grep sqlplus|grep -v grep

smithj 21306 20953 0 16:12:37 pts/12 0:00 sqlplus system

TEST10 >