How to change password on Debian 10

You may have forgotten your user account password on your Debian 10 operating system or another situation has occurred where you need to reset and assign a new password. This can be done by following the simple instructions below.

Why do I need a password?

The password for the Debian 10 operating system (and any other operating system) is necessary to secure access to your computer or server. Here are a few reasons why a password is important in Debian 10:

1. A password helps protect your personal data, files, and settings from unauthorized access. Only a user with the correct password can access the system.
2. Helps prevent unauthorized access to your computer or server, which could lead to sensitive data leakage or security breaches.
3. If your computer is connected to the Internet, the password protects it from remote hacking or attack.
4. Allows the system to identify the user and grant appropriate access privileges based on the level of permissions.
5. In a multi-user environment, each user should have a unique password to ensure the security and privacy of other users' data.

Using a password in Debian 10 is one of the main ways to secure your system and data, so it is important to create a strong and complex password to protect your information.

What should I do in this case?

The first thing to do is when turning on the system while the Grub menu is displayed, the startup options. Press the key "E", Latin alphabet.

Next, in the opened system boot parameters in the line that begins with linux at the end after quiet you need to put a space and write the following:

init=/bin/bash

Now enter the command to mount our file system with rights not only to read, but also to write, respectively, and to make changes.

mount -rw -o remount /

To change the password you need to enter a simple command:

passwd

Without any names or additions press Enter and at the question new password enter the new password. Then we will be asked to confirm the entered password by entering it again, enter it again and press Enter again. If we have done everything correctly, we will see the answer "password updated successfully". Next we need to unmount the file system with the umount / command and reboot with the reboot -f command.

Now that the root user password has been reset, changing it for any account is easy. To change the user password, after booting the system, type the command in the terminal as root.

passwd user_name

Now enter the new password twice, press Enter after each password entry.

Why can't I change the password?

There are several possible reasons why you may have difficulty changing your password on the Debian 10 operating system. Here are some of the most common problems and how to solve them:

1. Make sure that you are trying to change the password as a user with administrative rights (e.g. root user or a user added to the sudo group). If you do not have sufficient rights, you may be denied access to change the password.
2. Check to see if the new password meets the security requirements set by the system. Your new password may not meet these requirements (for example, it must contain upper and lower case letters, numbers, and special characters).
3. Make sure that you enter the new password correctly. Pay attention to the keyboard layout and the presence of unnecessary spaces.
4. The system may have a security policy that prohibits changing the password for certain users or requires periodic password changes.
5. PAM may be configured to apply additional checks when a password is changed. Check the PAM configuration files to identify possible problems.
6. The user account may be locked out or there may be other account issues that prevent password changes.

If you are experiencing a password change issue, I recommend that you start by checking the above items. If the problem remains unresolved, a detailed description of the error or error message may help in finding a more specific solution.