How to Reset Forgotten Password on Kali Linux

 

        Kali Linux is a Linux distribution used in the Cybersecurity domain. It is maintained and funded by Offensive Security. Kali Linux is Debian based and it uses the Debian repository for most of its packages. This Linux distribution is designed for digital forensics and penetration testing. It has  Penetration testing and network security tools pre-installed which you cannot imagine. It is completely free and open source. So you can use it for free and even contribute to its development. 

       Now forgetting login credentials is an annoying thing in the case of any operating system. Resetting forgotten passwords often comes with the risk of data loss and requires a lot of effort if you are not a technology enthusiast. This article will be a simple step-by-step guide on resetting forgotten passwords on Kali Linux.

How to Reset Forgotten Password on Kali Linux? 

        In this section, we will see how we can Reset Forgotten Passwords on Kali Linux. So follow the below steps along with proper command execution to Reset the Password on Kali Linux:

Step 1: Open the boot screen

       Whether you are using a dual-boot system, a standalone Kali Linux machine, or a virtual box running Kali Linux, access the boot options is the First Step. This involves restarting or turning on your device and waiting for the boot screen to appear. During the boot process, you need to enter it to access the GRUB (Grand Unified Bootloader) menu, which is responsible for managing the boot options.

Step 2: Open GRUB Options

             GRUB, the boot-loader responsible for initiating the operating system during startup, is where you’ll make modifications to access the root shell. Once you are on the boot menu options screen, press the letter ‘e’ to enter the GRUB editor. This action allows you to temporarily edit the kernel command line, enabling you to make adjustments to the boot parameters.

Step 3: Modify boot parameters 

           The GRUB (Grand Unified Bootloader) menu contains entries for different kernels and operating systems. Each entry has a line that specifies the kernel parameters for booting. In the grub menu locate the line starting with Linux and ending with a quiet splash. 

      Now change the ro (read-only) quiet splash with the following line to give read-write permission and enter single-user mode.

 rw init=/bin/bash

     rw gives read and write permission. init=/bin/bash specifies the path to the shell binary that will be executed as the system’s initial process, which is the bash shell.

         These changes are to gain access to a root shell with read-write permissions, allowing us to make changes to the system. Now press “CTRL + X” to exit the GRUB Menu.

Step 4: Adding new password 

       After you exit the Grub menu, the root shell prompt ( A terminal interface where the user has obtained superuser or root privileges) will open on your screen as shown in below output screenshot below.

          Now if you don’t remember your username, you can type the following command here to check for your username 

ls /home

     The ls /home command is used to list the contents of the /home directory on Linux. The /home directory is commonly used to store user home directories, corresponding to a user account on the system.

To add a new password simply type, (replace username with your username) 

passwd  username

     Now enter your new password and re-enter the new password again and you will be able to see your password updated successfully.

Now reboot your system by typing the following command. The -f option stands for “force” reboot.

 reboot -f

 Step 5: Login to Kali Linux

        Once your system is rebooted, type your username and the new password you added just now and you should be able to log into your Kali Linux system.