Add a User and Configure sudo

Recipes > Core Recipes > .. > Add a User and Configure sudo

Now that your system is up-to-date you should configure sudo. sudo is a program which lets an ordinary user of the system gain root priveledges under certain conditions.

As you know you never log in as the root user. It is considered safer to always perform administration as a non-priviledged user, only using root priviledges when you really need them. When you configure SSH in the Basic SSH Security article you'll disable root login over SSH.

During the installation of Debian you set up a non-priveldeged user. The example showed a user with the name Debian User and the username debian. You can use the user you set up during installation if you prefer or create another user. Here I'm creating another user called owner:

As root, run this:

# adduser owner
Adding user `owner' ...
Adding new group `owner' (1000) ...
Adding new user `owner' (1000) with group `owner' ...
Creating home directory `/home/owner' ...
Copying files from `/etc/skel' ...
Enter new UNIX password:
Retype new UNIX password:
passwd: password updated successfully
Changing the user information for owner
Enter the new value, or press ENTER for the default
    Full Name []:
    Room Number []:
    Work Phone []:
    Home Phone []:
    Other []:
Is the information correct? [Y/n] y

Once the user is set up install sudo.

# apt-get install sudo

Now issue the visudo command to configure sudo:

# visudo

At the end of the file add this line:

owner   ALL=(ALL) ALL

This gives the owner user full root privelidges when using sudo.

You can now sign out of SSH by typing exit and sign in again as whichever user you've set up:

ssh owner@server1.example.com

You can now run commands with root priviledges by prefixing the command with sudo. The first time you run a command you'll be prompted for the owner user's password (or if you haven't entered a command with sudo for a few minutes). Here's an example where we update the packages again, this time as owner:

$ sudo apt-get update

You don't type the $, this is just there to make it clear you are running as a non-root user.

From now on you should need log in as the root user.

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