Knoppix 3.3 Password

**pazza** · 05-24-2004, 11:07 AM

Hi,

I have a copy of Knoppx 3.3 which boots and runs of cd but i don't knoiw the password. I didn't type one and i need it to do a number of things, could somebody please help

Thanks
pazza

**CrashedAgain** · 05-25-2004, 06:04 AM

By default there are no passwords in Knoppix. Root and User knoppix are both set 'no password', so you can sudo or su to root with no password either.
This only causes problems if you try to run something 'as root', kdesu is not happy with a null password so you have to set one before you can run (for example) kate as root. Just enter 'sudo passwd' to set a new root password.

**oldgeezer** · 05-25-2004, 06:52 AM

How many times has the question of password come up in this Forum?!
There is a glaringly simple answer. Ask Klaus to use 'Knoppix' as a password - that is the obvious first guess used in Flonix.
OG.

**Cuddles** · 05-25-2004, 04:32 PM

OldGeezer

The answer to your question...

How many times has the question of password come up in this Forum?!

Is, by doing a Search Knoppix.net, which I did for someone else who asked this same question, last total was around 500 plus posts with the words root password in them...

But, the issue about no passwords, or having passwords is about something else, I think...

Security.

Just like Windows, when you first install it, it needs to connect, and get tons of security patches, before it can be secure on the internet, in fact, some of the programs are merely "stub" executables that have a link to download from a web page when they are first used... In a way, Knoppix is not secure on the internet from the CD.

Having no passwords for the two accounts, root and knoppix users, you would not want to connect to the internet without setting them first. Talk to anyone who is a "System Security" person in any company, and this is a "BIG" no no... I think the reason why no passwords are set, IMHO, is, to have the person running Knoppix set them, and to take the responsibility for there own security. This could also be the reason why, booting off the CD, has no, "forced" way of saving configs and home settings, you have to tell Knoppix to do this. The operating system is "locked down" for security reasons, drives are mounted read-only by default, you can't install programs/packages by default, and the two user accounts have no passwords, by default.

As for the "you would never connect to the internet without setting these two passwords" thing, I say this, because, if someone knows Knoppix, they know these two accounts "probably" exist on your system, if they have no passwords, a person can "connect" to your system remotely, login as either of these two accounts, and easily "become" root by a simple su command, thus, giving them complete access to your system. This is one of the biggest reasons why, I think Knoppix is "locked down".

These could just be "paranoia", or rantings from me, but, I ran the CD, and yes, I connected to the internet, but never without setting passwords to both accounts, even though I was running off the CD, which doesn't have anything "important" on it, nor, "permanent" because of the ram disk...
Ms. Cuddles

**CrashedAgain** · 05-30-2004, 05:38 AM

Originally Posted by Cuddles

Having no passwords for the two accounts, root and knoppix users, you would not want to connect to the internet without setting them first. Talk to anyone who is a "System Security" person in any company, and this is a "BIG" no no... I think the reason why no passwords are set, IMHO, is, to have the person running Knoppix set them, and to take the responsibility for there own security. This could also be the reason why, booting off the CD, has no, "forced" way of saving configs and home settings, you have to tell Knoppix to do this. The operating system is "locked down" for security reasons, drives are mounted read-only by default, you can't install programs/packages by default, and the two user accounts have no passwords, by default.

I'm not Klaus, don't know him & probably will never meet him so maybe it's presumptuous of me to guess at why Knoppix is like it is but....
I think Knoppix doesn't have any passwords firstly because it would be impossible to set them since you cannot write to the CD, and secondly the distro is designed to introduce Linux to new users (thus the emphasis on including a wide variety of applications and as full as practical internationalization) and passwords would only add unnecessary complication. Note that over 5% of the filespace is internationalization, this on a distro that is tight for space. Yes, he could have used a default 'Knoppix' as the password but that would add complication & not really provide much security.

Even with null passwords, there is still a fair amount of security in the system, hacking into the ramdisk won't gain a hacker access to much and any other filesystems are readonly unless the user deliberately set them rw. A hacker would have to do the same, meaning he(she) would also have to know that he has hacked into a Knoppix system & how to deal with it. If they know that much a default password isn't going to slow them down much.

Personally I think the nopassword system works quite well, especially since passwords can be easily set if needed or desired.

[/quote]

**user unknown** · 05-30-2004, 03:53 PM

Originally Posted by Cuddles

...I say this, because, if someone knows Knoppix, they know these two accounts "probably" exist on your system, if they have no passwords, a person can "connect" to your system remotely, login as either of these two accounts, and easily "become" root by a simple su command, thus, giving them complete access to your system.

Are the services to enable remote-login enabled by default?

A user who is firm enough to start them, should be informed enough, to know how to set the passwords.

Perhaps the issue how to set a password and why should be made more obvious - before installing in a README, during install with a Message-Box, after installation perhaps with 'motd' or 'issue', and perhaps on the most popular desktops with a link to a document on the KDE/ Gnome - Desktop.

I don't have the dvd available, to check if some of these hints are superfluously, because already implemented.

**CrashedAgain** · 05-31-2004, 06:46 PM

Are the services to enable remote-login enabled by default?

I don't know (can't check, not in Knoppix right now. but I agree it shouldn't be.

Perhaps the issue how to set a password and why should be made more obvious - before installing in a README, during install with a Message-Box, after installation perhaps with 'motd' or 'issue', and perhaps on the most popular desktops with a link to a document on the KDE/ Gnome - Desktop.

This I agree big time...there should be a lot more README's & basic howto's with almost every Linux system.