If you’ve been tracking recent Linux developments — from kernel 7.0 RC2 and subtle scheduler tweaks, to refining your workflow with the tree command, parsing logs in multitail, comparing iptables reject vs drop, testing raw connections with netcat, or editing configs deep into the night with vim — you’ve probably noticed a broader pattern. Core tools are slowly being modernized. Carefully. Sometimes controversially.
One of the latest examples is sudo-rs, a Rust-based reimplementation of sudo, which now shows password asterisks by default. On the surface, this looks like a tiny cosmetic change. In reality, it represents a philosophical shift that challenges a long-standing Unix convention.
Let’s unpack what sudo-rs is, what exactly changed, why it matters, and how to restore the traditional behavior if you prefer the classic silent prompt.
What Exactly Is sudo-rs?
Sudo-rs is a rewrite of the traditional sudo utility in Rust. The goal is not to reinvent privilege escalation, but to reimplement it using a memory-safe language.
Classic sudo, written in C, has served Unix and Linux systems reliably for decades. It allows permitted users to execute commands as another user — typically root — according to rules defined in the sudoers configuration. It’s one of the most security-critical binaries on any system.
However, because it’s written in C, it carries the usual risks associated with manual memory management. Over the years, vulnerabilities — some serious — have been discovered and patched. This has led parts of the Linux ecosystem to explore memory-safe alternatives.
Rust, with its strict ownership model and compile-time safety guarantees, reduces entire classes of memory corruption issues. sudo-rs is part of that movement: preserving functionality, but hardening implementation.
Importantly, sudo-rs aims to be largely compatible in behavior and configuration, allowing distributions to adopt it without breaking workflows.
And yet, one small behavioral change has made headlines.
The Silent Password Prompt: A Unix Ritual
For decades, typing your password into sudo meant typing into the void.
No dots.
No stars.
No visual confirmation.
You would type your password, press Enter, and hope you didn’t make a mistake. If you did, you’d get a denial and try again.
This was not laziness. It was intentional.
The reasoning behind this behavior has traditionally been:
- Do not leak password length.
- Do not provide unnecessary feedback.
- Keep authentication minimal and resistant to observational attacks.
The silent prompt became part of the Unix experience. For seasoned users, it’s instinctive. You don’t expect feedback.
Newcomers, however, often panic the first time they see it. “The keyboard isn’t working!” is a common first reaction.
The Change: Asterisks Enabled by Default
sudo-rs enables password feedback by default. As you type your password, asterisks appear on the screen — one per character.
If you type:
mypasswordYou will now see a series of asterisk characters.
This feature, historically known as pwfeedback, has long existed in classic sudo — but it was opt-in, not default.
That distinction is what makes this controversial.
In sudo-rs, the default configuration provides visual feedback, prioritizing usability over strict adherence to traditional Unix minimalism.
It may seem minor. But changing the default behavior of a foundational system utility is never trivial.
Security Implications: Substance Over Emotion
Let’s move past emotion and focus on mechanics.
What does showing asterisks actually reveal?
Only the password length.
It does not reveal:
- Characters
- Character classes
- Structural hints beyond total length
- Timing precision beyond what an observer could already measure
In many environments, revealing password length is not considered a severe risk. Password entropy depends far more on complexity and unpredictability than on length secrecy alone.
However, in high-security or shared-terminal environments — for example, controlled data centers or multi-user academic systems — even small disclosures may be undesirable.
There is also historical sensitivity. In the past, enabling pwfeedback in certain sudo versions exposed a memory-related vulnerability. That legacy has made some administrators cautious.
But sudo-rs, written in Rust, was designed specifically to reduce such memory-related risks. So the threat profile is different.
The debate here is less about concrete security regression and more about design philosophy.
A Shift in Philosophy
Unix tools have traditionally been austere. They prioritize:
- Minimal output
- Predictability
- Scriptability
- Conservative defaults
Usability improvements were often secondary.
Modern distributions, however, are increasingly designed not only for veterans but also for newcomers and cross-platform users. Visual feedback during authentication is standard on Windows, macOS, mobile devices, and web forms.
From that perspective, sudo-rs aligning with familiar behavior makes sense.
But to long-time Unix users, it feels like altering a ritual. It’s similar to the early resistance against colored ls, graphical network managers, or systemd. Over time, many controversial changes become normal.
The question is whether this is one of those moments.
Ubuntu and Broader Adoption
Discussions around integrating sudo-rs into future Ubuntu releases have brought this change into focus. If adopted widely, millions of Linux systems would inherit this default behavior.
This isn’t just about aesthetics — it signals willingness to modernize foundational utilities rather than treating them as sacred artifacts.
And that’s noteworthy.
The Linux ecosystem is increasingly embracing Rust for components where memory safety matters deeply. Privilege escalation utilities are precisely that kind of component.
How to Disable Asterisk Feedback
If you prefer the classic silent prompt, you can disable password feedback.
Use:
visudoLook for a line enabling pwfeedback. If present:
Defaults pwfeedbackEither remove it or explicitly negate it:
Defaults !pwfeedbackSave and exit. After that, password entry should return to silent mode.
Always modify sudo configuration using visudo to avoid syntax errors that could lock you out of administrative access.
No special formatting tricks are required.
A Personal Take
After years in the terminal, I find the silent prompt almost comforting. It’s muscle memory. I don’t look at the screen while typing the password — I just type and press Enter.
At the same time, I’ve guided enough newer users to understand why they appreciate visible feedback. It reduces anxiety. It reassures them that input is being registered.
In that sense, sudo-rs is not trying to weaken security. It’s trying to reduce friction.
The tension here reflects a broader reality: Linux is no longer only for specialists. It’s for developers, hobbyists, students, enterprises, cloud-native platforms, and first-time users alike.
Balancing tradition and accessibility is not easy.
The Bigger Picture
The sudo-rs asterisk debate isn’t truly about stars on a screen. It’s about something deeper.
It’s about whether foundational Unix behavior should remain untouched for tradition’s sake, or whether modernization — when done carefully — is acceptable.
It’s about memory-safe rewrites of critical infrastructure.
It’s about rethinking defaults while still preserving user control.
Because ultimately, that’s the key point:
You can change it back.
Linux still lets you decide.
And as long as that remains true, even controversial defaults are just configuration choices — not irreversible mandates.
Conclusion
sudo-rs showing password asterisks by default may look like a small visual tweak, but it symbolizes a generational shift in Linux development. It reflects the rise of Rust in system tools, a stronger emphasis on usability, and a willingness to revisit long-standing conventions.
Some will see it as unnecessary.
Some will welcome it.
Most will adapt.
What matters most is that the system remains transparent and configurable. In the end, that flexibility is far more aligned with Unix tradition than silent password prompts ever were.
