How to reset/recover the ROOT password in openSUSE

27 Comments



  1. I’m astonished!

    I tried and worked. Thanks a lot!

    But where is the legendary Linux inviolability if anyone in 3 simplest steps can reset root password?

    I’ll appreciate an answer very much. Thanks!

    ellevi

  2. Since the reset is done at boot time, you would have to have physical access to the machine to be able to perform this task. So security is still unaffected, unless you leave your front door open:)

    Mike

  3. If you need additional security against physical attacks at boot time, then GRUB allows you to set a boot loader password, which prevents settings from being changed.

    That way you will have to boot from a CD and reset that first, but you can prevent that as well by using a BIOS password. Then you have to physically get inside the machine and remove the battery to reset that.

  4. Wow! Thanks..

  5. I agree with Michael and Richard until the scenario is an opensuse system on a well guarded server.
    But what about an opensuse on a notebook that can easily be lost or stolen?


  6. still good for opensuse 11.1 also…

    actualy this procedure should be okay for just about any linux that boots from GRUB or LILO.

    @Ellevi: for protecting a notebook, you essentially need to protext the data on your harddrive from being read by any operating system (once someone has your PC, there’s nothing to stop them cracking open the box taking out the drive and putting it in their own machine).

    Take a look at openSUSE’s hard-drive encryption tools, and the hard-drive encryption how-to. For something really secure, you’re going to have to store the encryption key on a removable medium kept separate from the notebook and enter a passphrase each time you boot. There is no other way for the truly paranoid…

    My work (big IT company) uses Pointsec for PC (Windows XP) — it decrypts the drive upon boot and relies on Windows security to avoid reading the drive unless you can log into Windows. It’s good enough, but not fool-proof either, since there are ways to bypass Windows security too…

  7. Thank you very much. I needed this 1st boot since i messed up the passwd! doh! 😀

  8. hello

    i have a root but i cant change the password what should i do everytime i change the password it says
    Changing password for user root.
    New password:
    Retype new password:
    passwd: all authentication tokens updated successfully

    but when i login to the same passwrd still working can u email me for my problem i need solution tnx very much 🙂

  9. Hello all,
    When I try the command #mount -o remount,rw / it was executed successfully but when I type passwd it is throwing me an error message “passwd: user not known to the underlying authentication module” Please guide me on what to do next.

    Regards,
    Blue

  10. When I enter init=/bin/bash in boot options but is still boots to the GUI and ask for root password.
    what am I doing wrong?

  11. Hi,

    I tried this stuff, but before I start to type “mount” the system said that:

    mount: can't find /root/proc in /etc/fstab or /etc/mtab

    please be advise.

    thank you.

  12. Worked like a charm, your a genius.

  13. thanks it is working for v11.1. ^_^

  14. Zürich, 15. Mai 2010

    Hallo
    Leider ist das Zurücksetzen und Wiederherstellen des Passwortes noch nicht gelaufen, ich habe von dem System wenig
    praktische Erfahrungen und traue mich nicht in der Konsole eine Zeile zu schreiben. Ich habe kaum eine detailierte Ahnung, wie das System läuft.

    Gruss

  15. It works. Thanks very much. You saved me the pain of reinstallation and a reconfiguration of my linux box.

  16. It worked in 11.3 as well. Thanks!

  17. thanks for the info. I’ve managed to change their root password for my servers

  18. It worked fine. Thank you very much.

  19. Many many thanks.I liked it.


  20. my problem is that when it finished loading after i insert the command init=/bin/bash… at first it asks me to login.. and since i dont have root passwd it doesnt leave me recover password… what can i do?


  21. Thanks Heaps, just tried successfully on openSUSe 11.2

    Steve.

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