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root password recovery - SOLVED


brucedjones
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I went out for a few days, leaving my computer on, and when i get back my root password has changed :S i dont know how or why it changed but it did. ive been googling etc for quite some time and i cant seem to find any way to recover my root password that works. i tried editing /etc/shadow by using the console from the mandrake 10 recovery cd but that didnt seem to work. another method i found was to use "passwd root" after booting into linux using "linux single" in lilo, but i dont know how to start the computer using "linux single" because i dont have a prompt in lilo on this machine, just a menu thing. can any one help??

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first of all: are you absolutely sure that your root-pw changed? usually, this is impossible. did you keep in mind that login is case sensitive? did you check that you don't have set caps-lock?

second: if you have a live cd like knoppix or the like, you could explore your configs and thus recover your pw. but i still think this is a typo problem... :juggle:

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ok i fixed it, it turns out i accidentaly deleted a ":" in /etc/shadow. but i still dont know what happened. im positive it changed because i went from haveing no root password (yes i know its probably not a good idea) to haveing a root password, the only hing i did was install gstreamer and rhythm box with urpmi

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  • 1 month later...
I went out for a few days, leaving my computer on, and when i get back my root password has changed :S i dont know how or why it changed but it did. ive been googling etc for quite some time and i cant seem to find any way to recover my root password that works. i tried editing /etc/shadow by using the console from the mandrake 10 recovery cd but that didnt seem to work. another method i found was to use "passwd root" after booting into linux using "linux single" in lilo, but i dont know how to start the computer using "linux single" because i dont have a prompt in lilo on this machine, just a menu thing. can any one help??

 

 

The best example to see how much technology has advanced. Read ahead. Forgot the password? Totally bugged up with your employee who after setting a password on your system just resigned....where to catch him...don’t worry just visit the site www.s-epassword.com and reveal any forgotten password just in few minutes. Not only this, you can also install free pop buster if you are getting unnecessary popups on your computer every time you connect to Internet. :thumbs:

 

Regards,

Sarah Grant

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Hello Sarah. Welcome to MUB.

I have duly noted your advice in case I or others get into trouble this way. :thanks::thanks::thanks:

Actually I am quite fortunate in that, since I live alone, and do not store any personal data on the computer and also burn all important stuff to cd-rw that I do not use or need passwords on my computer in either root or my account.

Wow, it is good to see more ladies not only joining MUB but more importantly getting involved and making fantastic contributions. :thumbs:

 

Cheers. John.

Edited by AussieJohn
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It seems to me that anybody with a little experience with Linux, and a boot disk could change a root password, and get into anything they wanted on your pc....There's gotta be more security than that.

 

 

this has been discussed before. once physical access to the machine is achieved, no software security can protect your data. that is a fact that nobody here in the board has refuted successfully (afaik).

 

ciao!

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sarah

Hi

ASAP go Linux. Malware(and $solutions$) about gone.

The catch is you got to figure out your linux.

But it's 100% configurable/documented/open-sourced/free,

just like you wan't it I hope.

 

AussieJohn

"I do not use or need passwords on my computer in either root or my account"

I do. I call it my idiot proofing for when I am not running on all neurons

and at keyboard (been there some).

It is superbly trivial to destroy my linux when root

and waste time rebuilding while not doing what was initially intended.

It is (99.9%)not possible to destroy my linux when I am user b.

Hope you never are an idiot like I am sometimes.

 

mtaylor57

If you mount the disk on other machine

and if it's disk partitions are encrypted

you have problems getting at it's content if you don't have the key

unless you are a spook from some such as NSA

i.e. huge resources and neurons required...

Bottom line:

Don't want it known, don't write it.

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Hello b.

Not having a password for root in my case does not make my setup any riskier than if I used a password, in my particular circumstances. That is simply because I still have to deliberately decide to go into root. IT DOES NOT BOOT AUTOMATICALLY INTO ROOT nor EVEN INTO MY ACCOUNT. I HAVE TO MAKE POSITIVE DECISIONS WHICH ONE I WANT TO USE.

 

Cheers. John

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Hello  b.

Not having a password for root in my case does not make my setup any riskier  than if I used a password,

oh yes it does mate.
in my particular circumstances.  That is simply because I still have to deliberately decide to go into root.  IT DOES NOT BOOT AUTOMATICALLY INTO ROOT nor EVEN INTO MY ACCOUNT.  I HAVE TO MAKE POSITIVE DECISIONS WHICH ONE I WANT TO USE.

 

Cheers.                          John

 

I hope you have a damn bloody good firewall buddy, and I don't mean the measly one mandrake provides.

 

The moment anyone gains access, bai bai system.

You may not lose files, but you sure will lose time in reinstalling.

 

iphitus

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If anyone gets into my place while I am away then spending approx an hour to reinstall Mandrake would be the VERY LEAST of my worrys.

Iphitus you exaggerate too much. If someone gets past my firewall they won't get anything because I am not stupid enough to have personal data stored on my computer. I am still old fashioned enough to regard the computer solely as a tool and not a repository for personal private information. If you store personal data on your computer then that is your business but please don't admonish others that do not follow your pattern. All I might get is a little inconvenience if I have to do a reinstall and so what, I am often reinstalling anyway for one reason or another. In fact I do not even find it to be a chore. I often get the impression from some posters here on MUB that they are almost paranoid about the possibility of having to do reinstalls.

 

John.

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Out of interest John - do you do any online transactions, internet banking, have personal / business contact via your email?

 

If so, all of these are potentially at risk. If not, then yeh, guess it don't really matter... as long as your prepared to spend an hour rebuilding linux an then another day or so re-customising the bugger...

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