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How to Change Linux Password

How to Change Linux Password

Passwords are the first line of defense in protecting any system, including Linux. Passwordless SSH is a reliable option but at the end of the day, a strong password is a great alternative! Having a strong password will make your system more secure.
In this guide, you will learn how to change Linux password.

We will also teach you how to change passwords for other users on your VPS.
If you want to become a system administrator, it will be beneficial for you to learn this.

Passwords and Linux

Linux is considered one of the most powerful operating systems in the World because of the way things are done. However, all operating systems require the use of passwords at some point. Linux manages passwords much like other systems. However, it is important to know two important directories in password management.

The first of these is the /etc/passwd directory where you can find all users in the system. Additionally, it also shows which group of the system the users belong to. It is possible to see many users, but only a few will be able to log in because they are system users.

If you want to see the contents of the /etc/passwd directory, you can do so with the following command:

cat /etc/passwd

The second Linux directory related to passwords is the /etc/shadow directory. In the shadow file, you can see users' encrypted passwords and whether they have an SSH key.

cat /etc/shadow

Finally, if you have strong passwords, no one will be able to guess your passwords or resort to brute force. However, if you think your passwords are in danger, you can change them. We recommend that you do this frequently.

How to Change Linux Password?

All you need to change your Unix password is to know one command! This is the same even if you are a regular user. First, access your VPS via SSH. Then, to change your password in Linux, you need to open the terminal and enter the following command:

sudo passwd

After running the command, it will ask you to enter the new password twice. In this case, since you have not specified a user, you will have changed the root password.