How to add remove user (standard user/non-root) in Kali Linux?

by blackMOREOps
51 comments

Login as new user

  • Once logged in, let’s confirm from command line who I really am! In terminal type in the following
    whoami

    How to add remove user - Standard usernon-root - in Kali Linux - blackMORE Ops -9

    Take note of user1@kali prompt. That also confirms who you are.

  • And let’s check my group affinity, type in the following in terminal:
    groups

    How to add remove user - Standard usernon-root - in Kali Linux - blackMORE Ops -10

    Looks good to me so far.

    I am part of user1 group (my primary) and sudo group. That means I can run privileged commands or just become root myself if required.

  • Become root!
    sudo su –

    and type in user1’s password to become root.

    How to add remove user - Standard usernon-root - in Kali Linux - blackMORE Ops -11

    See the prompt becomes root@kali instead of user1@kali. That means you’re now root and get to run anything Kali got to offer.

  • Lets confirm that using whoami command
    whoami

    How to add remove user - Standard usernon-root - in Kali Linux - blackMORE Ops -12

    So far so good. Now how do you delete a user?

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51 comments

Akeeb Feroz-Viper September 22, 2015 - 11:27 pm

just getting an error at the first command ”uname: extra operand ‘–a’
Try ‘uname –help’ for more information.”

Reply
Ali April 21, 2016 - 3:32 pm

hello sir
I got an error . when i updated my kali linux to kali linux rolling , i had an account in kali linux with name “ali” and unfortunately it had been deleted but now when i tried to log in into kali linux rolling the CLI shows an error with user “ali” services not started and all the extensions has been stopped . so kindly tell me what can i do ..
i also tired by deleting the home dir of user ali but not worked .

Reply
prisoner676 July 6, 2016 - 1:12 am

to change from normal to root user type in sudo -i
then a window will pop up asking for pass
then type the user password
you are ready to go
if it doesnt work try switching to genome in the logout page

Reply
lopez August 9, 2016 - 8:07 am

Please find need help, after entering user name I try to type my new password is does not do anything, I don’t know what I am doing wrong here please help?

Reply
Pete October 17, 2016 - 5:22 pm

Not working in the ‘new’ rolling version of Kali 2.0 (after distupgrade)

For some reason it stays ‘root’

Tried it over and over what you wrote, but it won’t work.

Am I doing something wrong?

Ok, Kali 2.0 is on a fast USB stick here, works fine so far.

But I can’t make another user, passwd, sudo …

Greets,

Pete

Reply
blackMORE Ops October 18, 2016 - 8:32 am

Hello Pete,
Are you using non-persistent USB installation? This works on pretty much any Debian flavored distro. What is the error you are getting?
You can try this …

useradd -m mytestuser -G sudo -s /bin/bash
passwd mytestuser
Enter new UNIX password: somepassword1234
Retype new UNIX password: somepassword1234
su bmo

This should create and then switch to mytestuser account.
-BMO

Reply
Pete August 8, 2017 - 4:11 am

Hello -BMO

Tnx for your reply.

I’ve made one with persistence.

These are the changes I’ve made in the daemon.conf

daemon]

Enabling automatic login
AutomaticLoginEnable = true
AutomaticLogin= user1

Enabling timed login
TimedLoginEnable=true
TimedLogin= user1
TimedLoginDelay= 10

Reserving more VTs for test consoles (default is 7)
FirstVT=9

[security]
AllowRoot=true

[xdmcp]

[chooser]

[debug]
More verbose logs
Additionally lets the X server dump core if it crashes
Enable=true

==
User1 I have made like you from BMO wrote.

At the moment It’s working.

I can easily change root and user1, the window pops up now.

Maybe it’s not the right way but I’m a n00b you know.

Greetings Pete and tnx.

Reply
Pete October 19, 2016 - 7:45 am

Hellow there,

First I have to thank you for the fast reply.

I tried it out but it doesn’t work.

I’ve set up the USB 3.0 stick this way.

Downloaded a Kali 2.0 installed it on the bootable stick with ‘Pendrivelinux’

After installing Kali on the stick I’ve set up it as Persistence (Mini Partition Tool) to move/resise the usb stick.

You can shrink the partition size with the Mini partition Tool. I thought you needed that when making changes to the OS??? (space?)

create as: Primary … File system: Ext 4 … partition label: persistence

Done that I had to set up ‘persitence’

fdisk -l (L)
(do remember partition you have created on: fat32,NTFS, exFAT, Ext4)

mkdir -p /mnt/UUI
mount /dev/sdb2 /mnt/UUI
echo “/ union” > /mnt/UUI/persistence.conf
umount /dev/sdb2 && reboot

Worked fine after reboot, dit the apt-get clean/update/upgrade/dist-upgrade

Build in some things as TOR, LibreOffice, VLC-player, Hexchat, Angry IP scanner searched the net for those things. :s

Then I wanted to make another user and that didn’t work.

Have I messed up the OS?

If I do what you wrote the only thing it does is that in the ‘All settings window -Users the name (you gave: ‘mytestuser’) i gave the new user is in it but I can’t make changes on it and ne user won’t run. As I click the name of the new user in Users it must be possible to make some more settings but I didn’t do it)

As you see, I’m not an IT but I do loved the Kali 2,0 distro. There are many Linux distros but I think they ar not that good.

I want to give it another try … dunno what went wrong???

Thank u again for your reply.

Greets,

Pete

p.s. sorry for the msitypo’s

Reply
Pete November 4, 2016 - 5:12 am

Surfing and searching all over the net for some ‘goodies’ I noticed this:

http://null-byte.wonderhowto.com/how-to/install-kali-live-usb-drive-with-persistence-optional-0162253

I’ve searched it all myself but its a very very good text from the ‘NullByters’

I think while I was installing it that way, I’ve forgot something and that was the ‘sudo’ command.

But anyway, it’s running like a charm.

I do believe Kali (Debian) is the best Linux Distro there ever was.

Greets to ya all folks, keep up the good work,

Pete

Reply
knox wave November 15, 2016 - 2:13 am

THx . very use full information

Reply
Chris January 25, 2017 - 3:13 pm

I am using kali 2016.2 e17 version and I set up a standard user but when trying to login I get a enlightenment crash and all modules shutdown error right after language,keyboard,profile picks. Any ideas.
I deleted user through root login and setup again same thing.

Reply
Chris January 25, 2017 - 3:14 pm

I am using kali 2016.2 e17 version and I set up a standard user but when trying to login I get a enlightenment crash and all modules shutdown error right after language,keyboard,profile picks. Any ideas.
I deleted user through root login and setup again same thing.
I am also using this on Virtualbox

Reply
Lucas March 23, 2017 - 1:06 am

It’s so helpful my friend. Thank you very much.

The details of your posts are the bests, I can learn a lot of things with it

Best Regards

Reply
Pete August 8, 2017 - 3:49 am

Hello,

I have changed the last kali software it’s daemon.conf an at the moment everything is working like a charm.

The window where I can change root and user1 is back!!

Greets.

Reply
Pete August 14, 2017 - 12:49 am

Hello BMO fans.

I made a mistake while installing Kali 2.0 64bit!!! on a USB 3.0 stick. Used an ‘old’ PC. (I’ve tried to install the 64bit with pendrive and that didn’t work on my ‘old’ pc.

Most of you ppl use ‘Pendrive Linux’ to make the installation.

I think, for the latest versions of Kali OS software Pendrive is not that good so I tried an other one called ‘Rufus.’

Latest new mobo’s are UEFI and in Rufus you can set Bios or Uefi & Bios or Uefi I thought.

Installation is not that hard to do with Rufus and it didn’t made a problem.

Rufus stops installing and downloads some files you need to make a clean installation of Kali.

After installation make a persistence with ‘Mini Partition Tool’

persistence
primary
Ext4

If you give the Kali OS full space, there is no more room for the downloads/updates/upgrades so do make use persistence.

Boot your Kali. As you see you are Root.

Then you can make an User1 if you want to. How to do that is perfectly shown how to do that on the start of this page. (Tnx BMO)

After you’ve done all the work (grin) log out and a ‘problem’ showed up, you can’t login as User1 because the window where to set User1’s name and passw didn’t show up.

As I wrote a little bit higher up on this page ‘problem is something in the ‘daemon.conf’ file.

Take ‘Terminal’ and type: Leafpad /etc/gdm3/daemon.conf (if you use of ‘gdm3’) and change the daemo.conf in:

[daemon]

Enabling automatic login
AutomaticLoginEnable = true
AutomaticLogin= user1

Enabling timed login
TimedLoginEnable=true
TimedLogin= user1
TimedLoginDelay= 10

Reserving more VTs for test consoles (default is 7)
FirstVT=9

[security]
AllowRoot=true

[xdmcp]

[chooser]

[debug]
More verbose logs
Additionally lets the X server dump core if it crashes
Enable=true

Reboot and you’ll see the window where you can change to User1 is Alive again.

I don’t know if I am doing this right because I am not an IT and I don’t know lot’s about Linux but anyway for me it works and the Latest Kali version 64Bit is running very fast on that USB3.0 stick.

Greets to everybody, Pete

Keep up the good work BMO!!

p.s. maybe I am doing it wrong but it works for me.

Reply
mrnobody January 26, 2018 - 6:40 am

Install graphical tools then use the command line, anyway. Brilliant.

Reply
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Reply
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Reply
Vedanth April 15, 2019 - 9:00 pm

When I do chsh – s /bin/bash user1
It asks me for password.I tried my root password and my user1 password but it gives me an error saying …..

chsh: PAM: Aunthentication failure

Please Help Me Out

Reply
EG December 5, 2019 - 5:57 am

wouldn’t you also add the new user to the sudoers list?

Reply
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