change shell of a user from /bin/false to another

Question

I made a mistake of change the root shell to /bin/false, but when I want to change it back, I always got error

sudo chsh -s /bin/bash root
[sudo] password: <input current user password>
password: <input root password>
chsh: PAM: Authentication failure

...the easiest thing to do would be to boot off a livecd. Or try single user mode. — Bob, Commented Jun 24, 2014 at 9:21

xuhdev · Accepted Answer · 2014-07-02 22:15:04Z

6

You can modify the file /etc/passwd if chsh doesn't work, by replacing the line

root:x:0:0:root:/root:/bin/false

with

root:x:0:0:root:/root:/bin/bash

answered Jun 24, 2014 at 9:21

xuhdev

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for editing /etc/passwd (which should indeed work) one must be root (or use sudo...). A livecd may work if the /-filesystem can be mounted.
– trurl
Commented Jun 24, 2014 at 9:32

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AlexKing · Accepted Answer · 2014-06-24 09:56:43Z

0

Try:

sudo vigr

In the editor, change root's shell back to /bin/bash (It should be the last field on the first line)

answered Jun 24, 2014 at 9:56

AlexKing

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2 Answers 2