choubbi | # 1 | 2008-05-07, 12:02 | Report

Hello,

I'm new on this forum, I hope you won't mind for my poor English since it's not my natural language.

I have a problem which motivated my inscription here, I lost my sudo/root password(s).
First of all, I used becomeroot to put my own password on the tablet, to use SSH to get access to my lab's computers (I'm a PhD student, though I'm quite new to Linux, and a total noob to Maemo).
Everything went fine the first day when I remembered the password, but I didn't use any command requiring the password for several weeks, and I now don't remember my root/sudo password.

I would like to know if I can get this password back, or change it to another, or at least use a ssh client which doesn't need this password.

Thanks!

Thomas

PS: I googled for this problem but found nothing else than people who hadn't already used becomeroot.

Benson | # 2 | 2008-05-07, 12:32 | Report

Try installing easyroot?

mikeob | # 3 | 2008-05-07, 13:31 | Report

or Becomeroot

Benson | # 4 | 2008-05-07, 13:54 | Report

He's already got becomeroot, but apparently has a password on it.

I haven't used easyroot, but, being a separate route, I'm thinking it may permit access anyway; then set whatever password is being used with becomeroot...

choubbi | # 5 | 2008-05-07, 14:19 | Report

I'll try easyroot tonight when I get access to internet with my tablet. (I only have ethernet access here)

Mikeob > like Benson stated, I already have becomeroot and used it to become able to sudo. I just forgot the password and can't sudo anymore because of this.

choubbi | # 6 | 2008-05-07, 18:51 | Report

Yeah!
I firmly doubted that it would work (I thought that once the root password set by Becomeroot it wasn't possible to reset it this easily), but since I'm very far from an expert on this subject, I gave it a try, and guess what? it worked!

Thanks a lot Benson, you're my hero! I really got angry at myself for forgetting this password...

Benson | # 7 | 2008-05-07, 19:04 | Report

Glad it worked; the reason it's that easy is because no root password is required to install arbitrary software; unlike a typical desktop, forgetting the password doesn't lock you out of installing, so you can still install something (a trojan, more or less) to root your own box.

Of course, on a regular desktop, needing the root password for installing software, you'd have probably used it more, and remembered it better.

Des | # 8 | 2008-05-08, 11:16 | Report

I can't help with your password problem, but why do you need root access on your tablet to get an SSH shell on your lab network? I do this without root access.

choubbi | # 9 | 2008-05-08, 17:47 | Report

duh... I tried it without being root, and it worked. I could have sworn I read somewhere that you needed to be root to use SSH, I never tried with the user account.
I guess I'll have to try more stuff before posting.

thanks for the info.

paps | # 10 | 2008-06-26, 15:25 | Report

this is a diablo root hijack but...

I realize there is easyroot or becomeroot if I want to install them to gain root access, but this is bugging me that after the upgrade nobody knows the default sudo root password.

On chinook, you could set it and i chose rootme, but now nothing works and it seems like nobody has a clue on how to reset this. I'd just like to know if someone has figured out the password or can give me steps to reset it (even if that means temporarily installing easyroot or becomeroot