Specifications

Chapter 7 Managing Directory Clients Using Accounts Preferences 12 5
Changing the Root User Account Password
You can use Directory Utility (located in Accounts preferences) to change the root
account password. When changing the root password, use a complex password that
contains alphanumeric and special characters, to prevent the password from being
compromised.
WARNING: The root account is an unrestricted administrator account used to
perform changes to critical system les. Even if you are logged in as an administrator,
you must still use the root account, or sudo, to perform critical system tasks.
Never use the root account to log in to a computer (remotely or locally). Instead,
use sudo to perform root tasks. You can restrict access to sudo by adding users to the
/etc/sudoers/ le.
For more information about the root account, see User Management. For more
information about creating a password, see “Composing a Password” on page 105.
To change the root user account password:
1 Open System Preferences and click Accounts.
2 If the lock icon is locked, unlock it by clicking it and entering the name and password
of an administrator.
3 Click Login Options, then click Join or Edit.
If you see an Edit button, your computer has at least one connection to a directory
server.
4 Click Open Directory Utility.
5 Choose Edit > Change Root Password.
6 When prompted, enter the new root password in the Password and Verify elds.
7 Click OK.