Unix user without password still needs password

Question

I created a user on OS X Mavericks – dscl . -create /Users/newuser UserShell /bin/sh – without setting any password. This is confirmed by reading the user file with the dscl interactive prompt.

However, when I sudo su newuser and try to su back to root, bash prompts me for a password. I need to close the terminal and open a new window to exit the user session.

Why is that?

This seems like a question better suited to unix.stackexchange.com. — kojiro, Mar 06 '14 at 21:09

score 2 · Answer 1 · answered Mar 06 '14 at 21:09

2

When you run sudo su newuser, you are effectively running as "newuser". Running su as "newuser" will require escalating to root, requiring a password.

Try just exiting the the original su session with exit or <ctrl-d>. This should return you to the original shell.

answered Mar 06 '14 at 21:09

problemPotato

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But the root password is not being accepted, so what password is required? – Mar 06 '14 at 22:43
Are you sure `root` has a password? As a security precaution, Mac OS X doesn't ship with one. – chepner Mar 07 '14 at 00:09

Unix user without password still needs password

1 Answers1