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How to install finger server on CentOS 6.8

To install finger server on CentOS 6.8

Finger server, also known as Finger user information protocol provides user’ s information like login name, mails or plan related information , full name , last login time , login terminal , phone number , and more to client who is inside or outside of a network on a remote host . The finger server daemon' s functionality is based on TCP port 79. Finger server is a hacking tool which can be used to retrieve a company' s information such as e-mail address , contact number , and information of all the involved employees.

Installing finger server

Trigger the installation of Finger Server by executing the following command in your terminal. 

[root@linuxhelp Desktop]# yum install finger* -y
Loaded plugins: fastestmirror, refresh-packagekit, security
Setting up Install Process
Determining fastest mirrors
 * base: mirror.nbrc.ac.in
* extras: mirror.dhakacom.com
 * updates: mirror.dhakacom.com
Resolving Dependencies
-->  Running transaction check
--->  Package finger.x86_64 0:0.17-52.el7 will be installed
--->  Package finger-server.x86_64 0:0.17-52.el7 will be installed
-->  Finished Dependency Resolution
.
.
Installed:
  finger.x86_64 0:0.17-52.el7         finger-server.x86_64 0:0.17-52.el7        

Complete!

Now that the finger server is installed, it is essential to make some changes to its configuration file. Run the following command to open the file. 

[root@linuxhelp Desktop]# vim /etc/xinetd.d/finger

Once the file is opened, change the option for Disable from yes to no and then save and exit from file.


After that, restart the xinet service as follows. 

[root@linuxhelp Desktop]# service xinetd restart
Stopping xinetd:                                           [  OK  ]
Starting xinetd:                                           [  OK  ]

Now you can use the finger server to view the local user information by just typing finger in the terminal. 

[root@linuxhelp Desktop]# finger
Login     Name       Tty      Idle  Login Time   Office     Office Phone
root      root       pts/0          Aug  2 00:16 (:1.0)
root      root       tty7       19  Aug  2 00:15 (:1)
user1     user1      tty1       19  Aug  2 00:11 (:0)

You can also view information of a specific user, for that you need to specify the ip of that particular user as follows. 

[root@linuxhelp Desktop]# finger root@192.168.7.242
Login: root                       Name: root
Directory: /root                        Shell: /bin/bash
On since Wed Aug  2 00:16 (IST) on pts/0 from :1.0
On since Wed Aug  2 00:15 (IST) on tty7 from :1
    20 minutes 45 seconds idle
No mail.
No Plan.

Like this, you can check and retrieve various information with the help of finger server.

Tag : CentOS
FAQ
Q
Is it still a viable tool?
A
As you may have guessed by now, only UNIX-based servers running the Finger server (or Finger daemon) support the Finger Information Protocol. Thus, you can only use the Finger utility to track down information about users with accounts on UNIX-based servers.
Q
What is the use of finger command?
A
n Unix, finger is a program you can use to find information about computer users. It usually lists the login name, the full name, and possibly other details about the user you are fingering. ... The finger command is available on most Unix systems
Q
What is finger service in Linux?
A
Finger server or (finger User Information Protocol)provides the user related information to the clients.Finger Information Protocol can be defined as a protocol which allows remote users to see information like login name,mail related information,login shell,login terminal for user,full name of users, login time etc.
Q
What is the syntax for the finger?
A
The syntax for the Finger utility is
Finger [-l] [user] @hostname
Q
What is finger port 79?
A
Finger user information protocol. The finger daemon runs on TCP port 79. The client will (in the case of remote hosts) open a connection to port 79. An RUIP (Remote User Information Program) is started on the remote end of the connection to process the request.