VMware vCenter – “Exception in invoking authentication handler User password expired”

An appliance that was deployed over 90 days old with no changes made to the default settings. When attempting to logon to the VAMI console of the appliance i.e. https://vcenter.domain.com:5480 you get the message: “Exception in invoking authentication handler User password expired”.

To resolve this you need to reset the password, then set it not to expire. Although no expiring passwords are not recommended, unless of course you have a mechanism to remind you to reset it periodically, so you don’t need to rely on the automatic reset. SSH or use the VM console and perform the following steps.

Check Password Expiry

root@vcenter [ ~ ]# chage -l root
You are required to change your password immediately (password expired)
chage: PAM: Authentication token is no longer valid; new one required

Change Password

root@vcenter[ ~ ]# passwd root
New password:
Retype new password:
passwd: password updated successfully

Change Password Expiry (to Never Reset)

root@vcenter[ ~ ]# chage -M -1 root

Then verify it has been successful with:

root@vcenter[ ~ ]# chage -l root
Last password change : Dec 21, 2021
Password expires : never
Password inactive : never
Account expires : never
Minimum number of days between password change : 0
Maximum number of days between password change : -1
Number of days of warning before password expires : 7