What is the default root password for OSx?

By default ROOT is not activated. You must go to your utilities folder and go to net info manager and activate the ROOT account.

Once in net info manager go to:

1. Security
2. Authenticate
3. Security
4. Enable Root User
5. Follow prompts

Good luck, though playing with root is risky and make sure you are 100% sure this is required.

As long as we're talking root access, here's another question. I normally use a Standard User account, probably because I'm still a little bit skittish - I'm a recent switcher - and I noticed something strange. If I'm in my Standard User account and have to use the terminal and use the 'sudo' command, i get a prompt for a password. When I enter the Administrator account password, the prompt indicates that I entered the wrong password. When I log into the Administrator account, however, I can use the 'sudo' command with no problems. Why is that?

HawaiiMacAddict

HawaiiMacAddict said:

As long as we're talking root access, here's another question. I normally use a Standard User account, probably because I'm still a little bit skittish - I'm a recent switcher - and I noticed something strange. If I'm in my Standard User account and have to use the terminal and use the 'sudo' command, i get a prompt for a password. When I enter the Administrator account password, the prompt indicates that I entered the wrong password. When I log into the Administrator account, however, I can use the 'sudo' command with no problems. Why is that?

HawaiiMacAddict

Click to expand...

By default only admins are in the sudoers file - however if you're reasonably Unix-savvy, you can add your non-admin account in as well (and it will stay there).

Westside guy said:

By default only admins are in the sudoers file - however if you're reasonably Unix-savvy, you can add your non-admin account in as well (and it will stay there).

Click to expand...

From a technical point of view Westside answered your question. However, since you are "a little skittish", you should accept the extra security of having to log into a separate administrator account. Otherwise you might as well have the convenience of working as an administrator all the time.

Westside guy said:

By default only admins are in the sudoers file - however if you're reasonably Unix-savvy, you can add your non-admin account in as well (and it will stay there).

Click to expand...

Actually, I see some confusion here due to several misunderstandings: (1) HawaiiMacAddict is using the Admin (root) password instead of his own user password; sudo wants the USER's password for authentication. (2) Westside guy's reply refers to the sudoers file, but the result is different if the user is not in sudoers: if the user enters the correct (his own) password, but that user is not in the sudoers file, the response is a refusal due to not being in the file -- not a complaint about an incorrect password. (3) The root user can always invoke sudo without a password challenge (presumably, so that scripts that include sudo invocations will work for root without delaying for the password -- root already has root privileges). (4) Finally, note that the sudo command "remembers" for a short time (a few minutes) after a user has successfully authenticated and does not challenge on subsequent sudo invocations during that interval (but only in the same shell session; a sudo command in another window will get challenged for the password).

Why does sudo want the USER's password? At least two reasons: (1) so that no user needs the root password, and (2) users can individually be granted a specific set of commands that can be invoked via sudo.