BBB New User
Often it is convenient to have a user account on the BBB that is not the default debian.
First become root user. By default a fresh debain BBB image comes with the root/root username password combination. So
debian@beaglebone:$ su - <here goes the root password> root@beaglebone:$
It is rather easy to create a new user account. Just issue:
root@beaglebone:$ useradd -m -s /bin/bash -G admin klaus
here we creates the home directory with the -m option. The -s /bin/bash options sets the preferred shell. And finaly the -G admin option adds the user to the admin group allowing the user the perform sudo's. Finally, of course, comes the username - here klaus.
Next thing to do is to create a useful password for the new user. Type in
root@beaglebone:$ passwd klaus
notice here that there is no printout when you type in the new password.
Repeat the password as requested.
Change root and debian
In order to secure your device do also change the password for the users root and debian.
Just issue the passwd command shown above using the relevant usernames.