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Why I Never Trust Default Linux User Accounts (And Neither Should You)
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When you install a fresh Linux system, it often comes with default users, groups, and permissions already baked in. They might seem harmless — but to me, they’re an open invitation for trouble.
Here’s why I always audit and lock down user accounts immediately after installation — and the steps I follow to make sure no “silent risks” slip through.
🚨 The Problem With Default Accounts
- Vendor leftovers: Some distros or appliances ship with preconfigured users like lp, games, uucp, or even test.
- Weak or empty passwords: Historical defaults sometimes persist in older systems.
- Excessive privileges: Service accounts that don’t need sudo access sometimes get it anyway.
- Attack surface: Even “disabled” accounts can be reactivated by an attacker if they exist in /etc/passwd.
🔍 Step 1: List All Accounts
I start with:
cat /etc/passwd | cut -d: -f1
This shows me every account on the system. I specifically look for non-human accounts with /bin/bash as their shell — a big red flag.
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