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→Root Privilege: root, consolehelper, su, and sudo
The "root" user has full privilege -- she can do anything. There are four ways to gain root privilege:
# '''Login as "root" and enter the root password.''' This is useful when you can't log in as any other user. It is unwise to run applications as root unnecessarily -- for example, if you run a web browser as root, and a remote site exploits a security bug in the browser, then running the browser as root presents a much larger vulnerability than running as a regular user -- the remote attacker could add or remove software or perform other administrative tasks.
# '''Use a graphical application that is hooked into the ''consolehelper'' system''', such as <code>system-config-network</code>. You will be prompted for a password (either the user password or the root password, depending on the application configuration) and then the application will run with enhanced privilege. Most of the applications on the Administration menu in the graphical interface work this way.
# '''Use the "su" command to switch users''' (by default, it will switch to the root user). Type <code>su</code> and press enter, and enter the root password when prompted. This is useful when you have a number of system administration commands you want to run in a row. However, you must remember to switch back to your regular user account as soon as you no longer require privilege -- to do so, type <code>exit</code> or press Ctrl-D (for "Done"!).