How to Change User Password in Linux

For Linux users, maintaining system security requires changing your user password regularly. This guide presents a comprehensive, step-by-step process for changing your user password in Linux, ensuring your system stays secure.

In addition to covering the basic steps for changing a user password, this guide provides additional terminal commands, configurations, and best practices to enhance the security of your Linux system. Following the information in this guide, you can rest assured that your system will remain secure and protected against potential threats.

Prerequisites

Before we begin, ensure that you have the following:

• A Linux-based operating system installed on your computer
• Access to the terminal with root or superuser privileges

Step 1: Open the Terminal

The first step is to open the terminal. You can do this by clicking on the terminal icon on your desktop. Once the terminal is open, you will see a command prompt.

Step 2: Log in as Root

To change a user password, you must have root or superuser privileges. You can log in as root by typing the following command and entering your root password when prompted:

su

Step 3: Change the Password

Once you have logged in as root, you can change the user password by typing the following command:

passwd username

Example output:

Enter new UNIX password:
Retype new UNIX password:

Replace “username” with the username of the user whose password you want to change. You will be prompted to enter a new password twice. Choose a strong password containing upper and lower-case letters, numbers, and special characters.

Example output if successful:

passwd: password updated successfully

After entering the new password, you can verify that it has been changed by logging out and logging back in as the user whose password you just changed. If you can log in successfully, then the password change was successful.

Step 4: Force User to Change the Password at Next Login

In Linux, passwords are set to never expire by default. However, there may be situations where you want to enforce password expiration for added security. To do this, you can use the passwd command with the –expire option followed by the user’s username to force them to change their password the next time they log in.

sudo passwd --expire username

Example output:

passwd: password expiry information changed.

Executing the command mentioned above will immediately expire the user’s password. When the user attempts to log in with their old password, they will be prompted with a message to change their password for added security.

ssh username@192.168.50.100
WARNING: Your password has expired.
You must change your password now and login again!
Changing password for username
(current) UNIX password:
Enter new UNIX password:
Retype new UNIX password:
passwd: password updated successfully
Connection to 192.168.121.209 closed.
Once the user sets a new password, the connection will be closed.

Step 6: Disable Root Account After Use in Linux

After using the root account to make changes to your Linux system, it’s important to disable it to prevent unauthorized access.

To log out of the root account, type the following command in the terminal:

exit

This will log you out of the root account and return you to your normal user account.

Next, to disable the root account, type the following command in the terminal:

sudo passwd -l root

This command will lock the root account, preventing anyone from logging in with it.

To verify that the root account is disabled, try logging in as root. You should receive an error message stating the account is locked and inaccessible.

Best Practices

Here are some best practices to keep in mind when changing user passwords in Linux:

• Always choose a strong password containing upper and lower case letters, numbers, and special characters.
• Avoid using easily guessable passwords such as “password” or “123456”.
• Disable root access after you have finished making changes to your system.
• Regularly change your user password to maintain the security of your system.

Additional Password Change Tips

Changing Group Password in Linux

To change the password for a group in Linux, you can use the “passwd” command with the “-g” option followed by the group’s name. This will allow you to modify the password for the specified group, ensuring that all group members can access it.

For example, if you wanted to change the password for a group named “testgroup,” you would use the following command:

passwd -g testgroup

Note that using this command will not be prompted for the current group password. Instead, you must enter the new password directly after running the command.

In addition to changing the group password, you can use the “-r” option with the “-g” option to remove the current password from the group. This will grant group access to all members without requiring a password.

Alternatively, you can use the “-R” option with the “-g” option to restrict the named group for all users. This option ensures that only members of the named group can access the group’s resources, and all others are denied access.

Conclusion

Changing your user password in Linux is a simple process that can help keep your system secure. Following the steps outlined in this guide, you can easily change your password and ensure your system remains protected. Remember to choose a strong password and to change it regularly to keep your system safe from unauthorized access.

Frequently Asked Questions