Simply Add New User to Kali Linux and Grant Sudo Privileges

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I want to share some basic Linux commands to add a new user via the command line. But first, we need to log in to the default user, and then you can follow these steps.

1. Open the Terminal#

You can press Ctrl + Alt + T to launch the terminal.

2. Create a New User#

sudo useradd -m username

Replace the username you need to change. The -m option ensures the creation of a home directory for the user.

For example, the username I set is ‘farrosfr.’

3. Set a Password for the New User#

sudo passwd username

Replace the username with the one that has already been created.

Type the new password for the new user and retype it until you see the message: ‘Password updated successfully’.

4. Grant Sudo Privileges#

To allow the new user to execute administrative tasks, add them to the sudo group:

sudo usermod -aG sudo username

Don’t forget to replace the username. The -aG options append the user to the specified group without removing them from other groups.

5. Set the Default Shell to Bash#

sudo chsh -s /bin/bash username

Replace the username. This command changes the user’s login shell to /bin/bash.

6. Verify the New User#

id username

Explanation:

• uid=1001(farrosfr): The user ID (UID) for farrosfr is 1001.
• gid=1001(farrosfr): The group ID (GID) for farrosfr is 1001, and it’s associated with the group farrosfr.
• groups=1001(farrosfr),27(sudo): The user farrosfr belongs to two groups: 
  1. farrosfr (group ID 1001)
  2. sudo (group ID 27), which allows the user to perform administrative tasks using sudo.

7. Switch to the New User#

su - username

You can also try logging in on the login panel to verify the new username.

I think that’s all. Thanks for reading. I hope this can be useful.