diff --git a/internal/app/seal.go b/internal/app/seal.go
index fd42af6..9199f5b 100644
--- a/internal/app/seal.go
+++ b/internal/app/seal.go
@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@ import (
 	"strconv"
 
 	"git.ophivana.moe/cat/fortify/dbus"
+	"git.ophivana.moe/cat/fortify/helper/bwrap"
 	"git.ophivana.moe/cat/fortify/internal"
 	"git.ophivana.moe/cat/fortify/internal/state"
 	"git.ophivana.moe/cat/fortify/internal/verbose"
@@ -159,6 +160,11 @@ func (a *app) Seal(config *Config) error {
 			}
 			conf.Filesystem = append(conf.Filesystem, b...)
 		}
+		// hide nscd from sandbox if present
+		nscd := "/var/run/nscd"
+		if _, err := os.Stat(nscd); !errors.Is(err, os.ErrNotExist) {
+			conf.Tmpfs = append(conf.Tmpfs, bwrap.TmpfsConfig{Size: 8 * 1024, Dir: nscd})
+		}
 		// bind GPU stuff
 		if config.Confinement.Enablements.Has(state.EnableX) || config.Confinement.Enablements.Has(state.EnableWayland) {
 			conf.Filesystem = append(conf.Filesystem, &FilesystemConfig{Src: "/dev/dri", Device: true})
diff --git a/internal/app/share.runtime.go b/internal/app/share.runtime.go
index 86add79..ac4135f 100644
--- a/internal/app/share.runtime.go
+++ b/internal/app/share.runtime.go
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 package app
 
 import (
-	"os"
 	"path"
 
 	"git.ophivana.moe/cat/fortify/acl"
@@ -13,17 +12,10 @@ const (
 	xdgRuntimeDir   = "XDG_RUNTIME_DIR"
 	xdgSessionClass = "XDG_SESSION_CLASS"
 	xdgSessionType  = "XDG_SESSION_TYPE"
-
-	shell = "SHELL"
 )
 
 // shareRuntime queues actions for sharing/ensuring the runtime and share directories
 func (seal *appSeal) shareRuntime() {
-	// look up shell
-	if s, ok := os.LookupEnv(shell); ok {
-		seal.sys.setEnv(shell, s)
-	}
-
 	// mount tmpfs on inner runtime (e.g. `/run/user/%d`)
 	seal.sys.bwrap.Tmpfs = append(seal.sys.bwrap.Tmpfs,
 		bwrap.PermConfig[bwrap.TmpfsConfig]{
diff --git a/internal/app/share.system.go b/internal/app/share.system.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..1b17ca4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/internal/app/share.system.go
@@ -0,0 +1,43 @@
+package app
+
+import (
+	"os"
+	"path"
+)
+
+const (
+	shell = "SHELL"
+)
+
+// shareSystem queues various system-related actions
+func (seal *appSeal) shareSystem() {
+	// look up shell
+	sh := "/bin/sh"
+	if s, ok := os.LookupEnv(shell); ok {
+		seal.sys.setEnv(shell, s)
+		sh = s
+	}
+
+	// generate /etc/passwd
+	passwdPath := path.Join(seal.share, "passwd")
+	username := "chronos"
+	if seal.sys.Username != "" {
+		username = seal.sys.Username
+		seal.sys.setEnv("USER", seal.sys.Username)
+	}
+	homeDir := "/var/empty"
+	if seal.sys.HomeDir != "" {
+		homeDir = seal.sys.HomeDir
+		seal.sys.setEnv("HOME", seal.sys.HomeDir)
+	}
+	passwd := username + ":x:65534:65534:Fortify:" + homeDir + ":" + sh + "\n"
+	seal.sys.writeFile(passwdPath, []byte(passwd))
+
+	// write /etc/group
+	groupPath := path.Join(seal.share, "group")
+	seal.sys.writeFile(groupPath, []byte("fortify:x:65534:\n"))
+
+	// bind /etc/passwd and /etc/group
+	seal.sys.bind(passwdPath, "/etc/passwd", true)
+	seal.sys.bind(groupPath, "/etc/group", true)
+}
diff --git a/internal/app/system.go b/internal/app/system.go
index 7fc7312..4f3b673 100644
--- a/internal/app/system.go
+++ b/internal/app/system.go
@@ -75,6 +75,8 @@ type appSealTx struct {
 	xhost []string
 	// paths of directories to ensure
 	mkdir []appEnsureEntry
+	// dst, data pairs of temporarily available files
+	files [][2]string
 	// dst, src pairs of temporarily shared files
 	tmpfiles [][2]string
 	// dst, src pairs of temporarily hard linked files
@@ -177,6 +179,13 @@ func (tx *appSealTx) changeHosts(username string) {
 	tx.xhost = append(tx.xhost, username)
 }
 
+// writeFile appends a files action
+func (tx *appSealTx) writeFile(dst string, data []byte) {
+	tx.files = append(tx.files, [2]string{dst, string(data)})
+	tx.updatePerm(dst, acl.Read)
+	tx.bind(dst, dst, true)
+}
+
 // copyFile appends a tmpfiles action
 func (tx *appSealTx) copyFile(dst, src string) {
 	tx.tmpfiles = append(tx.tmpfiles, [2]string{dst, src})
@@ -198,7 +207,7 @@ type (
 )
 
 // commit applies recorded actions
-// order: xhost, mkdir, tmpfiles, hardlinks, dbus, acl
+// order: xhost, mkdir, files, tmpfiles, hardlinks, dbus, acl
 func (tx *appSealTx) commit() error {
 	if tx.complete {
 		panic("seal transaction committed twice")
@@ -249,6 +258,18 @@ func (tx *appSealTx) commit() error {
 		}
 	}
 
+	// write files
+	for _, file := range tx.files {
+		verbose.Println("writing", len(file[1]), "bytes of data to", file[0])
+		if err := os.WriteFile(file[0], []byte(file[1]), 0600); err != nil {
+			return (*TmpfileError)(wrapError(err,
+				fmt.Sprintf("cannot write file '%s': %s", file[0], err)))
+		} else {
+			// register partial commit
+			txp.writeFile(file[0], make([]byte, 0)) // data not necessary for revert
+		}
+	}
+
 	// publish tmpfiles
 	for _, tmpfile := range tx.tmpfiles {
 		verbose.Println("publishing tmpfile", tmpfile[0], "from", tmpfile[1])
@@ -307,7 +328,7 @@ func (tx *appSealTx) commit() error {
 }
 
 // revert rolls back recorded actions
-// order: acl, dbus, hardlinks, tmpfiles, mkdir, xhost
+// order: acl, dbus, hardlinks, tmpfiles, files, mkdir, xhost
 // errors are printed but not treated as fatal
 func (tx *appSealTx) revert(tags *state.Enablements) error {
 	if tx.closed {
@@ -357,6 +378,13 @@ func (tx *appSealTx) revert(tags *state.Enablements) error {
 		joinError(err, fmt.Sprintf("cannot remove tmpfile '%s': %s", tmpfile[0], err))
 	}
 
+	// remove files
+	for _, file := range tx.files {
+		verbose.Println("removing file", file[0])
+		err := os.Remove(file[0])
+		joinError(err, fmt.Sprintf("cannot remove file '%s': %s", file[0], err))
+	}
+
 	// remove (empty) ephemeral directories
 	for i := len(tx.mkdir); i > 0; i-- {
 		dir := tx.mkdir[i-1]
@@ -389,6 +417,7 @@ func (seal *appSeal) shareAll(bus [2]*dbus.Config) error {
 	seal.shared = true
 
 	seal.shareRuntime()
+	seal.shareSystem()
 	targetRuntime := seal.shareRuntimeChild()
 	verbose.Printf("child runtime data dir '%s' configured\n", targetRuntime)
 	if err := seal.shareDisplay(); err != nil {
diff --git a/internal/shim/payload.go b/internal/shim/payload.go
index 718921b..3919bb8 100644
--- a/internal/shim/payload.go
+++ b/internal/shim/payload.go
@@ -13,7 +13,7 @@ type Payload struct {
 	Exec [2]string
 	// bwrap config, nil for permissive
 	Bwrap *bwrap.Config
-	// whether to pas wayland fd
+	// whether to pass wayland fd
 	WL bool
 
 	// verbosity pass through