Server support

Hi everyone, I'm a noob when it comes to this style of VPS. I was with godaddy for the last two years and their service has gone downhill. I've need help with managing, setting up new linode servers so I hired someone on Upwork. I need to ask if it's normal for someone to continually ask for root access? I reset my passwords to the linode account and the root server and I added him as a user. Now I'm having website installation issues and he is asking for the root password to get onto whm to look into things. He doesn't need this does he? And should he continually be asking for the root password?

FYI, if I'm just being overly paranoid please let me know.

Sincerely,

Noob VPS constructivworks

3 Replies

Hi,

Generally, you ought to give such an account, which will require administrative rights to look at website and other such server software, sudo access. No one should ever need the root password, and if they're asking for it, they might not know about best security practices.

Just as another side note, if you've asked or hiered someone to help you with server setup and management, they will most likely need sudo access, but not root access. I don't know of any instance in which a server admin would require a root password. Even with sudo access, an administrator can access root if needed.

Blake

Hi Blake,

Thanks for the reply. In most of the research I've done so far I read that giving out root password is not good. Thanks a ton for checking in.

Thanks,

cwi

Unless teh commands they can run via sudo is limited to a discrete list, there is no difference between giving a root password and giving sudo rights.

Reply

Please enter an answer
Tips:

You can mention users to notify them: @username

You can use Markdown to format your question. For more examples see the Markdown Cheatsheet.

> I’m a blockquote.

I’m a blockquote.

[I'm a link] (https://www.google.com)

I'm a link

**I am bold** I am bold

*I am italicized* I am italicized

Community Code of Conduct