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How to fix Proftpd ‘530 login incorrect’ error in web hosting servers

by | Mar 1, 2017

Managing FTP servers – Proftpd and Pure-ftpd – is a task we perform as a part of our role as Outsourced Tech Support engineers for web hosting companies.

“530 Login incorrect” is a common error noted in Proftpd servers when users try to establish an FTP connection to the server. 530 login error means that the Proftpd server is unable to authenticate the user with the login details provided.

The error message usually shows when FTP users try to establish a session with the server by submitting their username and password in FTP clients such as Filezilla.

Name (server:root): username
331 Password required for username
Password:
530 Login incorrect.
Login failed.

Here, we’ll see the main reasons why Proftpd ‘530 login incorrect’ error happens and how we resolve it.

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What causes “530 Login incorrect” error in Proftpd

While debugging 530 login incorrect errors, we’ve seen that the error mainly happens due to these reasons:

1. Incorrect login details used

Login details used by users for FTP access include their username and password. Any of these entered wrong can give a 530 login error in FTP. If the user account is non-existing or expired, Proftpd will not allow login.

In cPanel, there is a default user account and additional FTP accounts associated with each domain. For default user account, the ‘username’ is the FTP login name.

But for additional FTP accounts, the FTP login name is of the format ‘username@domain.com’. If the FTP username entered is not in this specific format, login failures happen.

“530 Login incorrect” also happens due to usage of wrong or mis-spelled password. Even a single additional space in the password can cause a login failure.

2. User account settings

If the user account belongs to the list of accounts that are banned from accessing FTP (listed in ‘/etc/ftpusers’), then Proftpd would return a ‘530 login incorrect’ message.

The ‘login shell’ that is assigned for the FTP user should be a valid one and present in the server, otherwise the user would be unable to establish an FTP session.

Other user account specific issues that we’ve encountered are, the absence of home directory, improper permissions and ownership of the directory, the group of the ftp user is not listed in the config file, etc.

3. Server configuration issues

At times, any server wide setting can also lead to login failures for Proftpd users. This can include filters or restrictions set in the Proftpd configuration file.

Server security settings such as SELinux or PAM authentication module configuration settings, can prevent establishing successful FTP sessions and give “530 Login incorrect” failures.

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How to fix “530 Login incorrect” error in Proftpd

To debug the reason for the ‘530 login incorrect’ error, we launch proftpd in debug mode and try connecting to FTP in that mode.

From the FTP log files and the FTP session details, our expert engineers pinpoint the issue and fix it promptly. Some of the fixes we perform include:

  1. Confirming that the user account exists and the password is valid. If password is wrong, we reset it to fix the error.
  2. Ensuring that the user account is not listed in ‘/etc/ftpusers’ file, which contains users that are not allowed FTP login.
  3. Verifying the login shell, group privileges and other account specific settings for the FTP user.
  4. Fixing the user home directory permission and ownership for FTP.
  5. Ensuring that the FTP user or group is not blocked from accessing FTP, in the configuration file.
  6. Debugging and resolving the configuration errors, if any, in the Proftpd config file.
  7. Checking and correcting the SELinux and PAM module settings that could be tampering with FTP sessions.
  8. Inspecting the firewall and port blocks and removing the ones that hinder FTP connections.
  9. Reinstalling Proftpd server in case there are too many configuration errors or corruptions.
  10. Guiding FTP users with the information to successfully setup FTP in their FTP clients.

Our experience resolving the different issues helps us to restore customers’ FTP service in no time. Asking the right questions upfront, and giving the solution in a few minutes reduces customer hold time and enhances customer delight.

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To add on..

To FTP to user accounts, the FTP hostname given is the domain name, which should resolve properly for the session to be established. If this domain name is not resolving correctly, it would give 530 errors.

In addition to username/password validation and server setting checks, we confirm that there are no DNS errors for the domain, as part of our FTP error trouble-shooting process.

We also update and patch the FTP servers with the latest secure version to avoid exploits or hacks. Since FTP is not a secure protocol, we encrypt Proftpd with TLS to ensure data security.

Our Dedicated Support Specialists routinely help server owners ensure seamless web services for their customers. If you’d like to know how you can better support your users, we’d be happy to talk to you.

 

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