Ubuntu 26.04 introduces a significant update to its sudo command by incorporating password feedback that displays asterisks by default. This shift from nearly 40 years of tradition has been generally welcomed, but not everyone prefers it. In response, a new keyboard shortcut has been added to sudo-rs that allows users to hide this feedback temporarily by pressing the Tab key.
With this new functionality, users can enter their password without visible feedback at any point during the entry process, eliminating the asterisk display while still indicating that they’re in a "no-echo" mode. This change addresses concerns raised particularly by Linux newcomers, who often found it disconcerting when their password input was silent, mistakenly thinking something had gone wrong.
The original silent feedback feature served as a security measure, as asterisks could inadvertently reveal the length of the password to onlookers. Even with the new visible feedback, users can revert to the old silent mode through a simple edit in the sudoers file. The new temporary bypass using the Tab key strikes a balance, enabling users to have visible feedback by default while also providing an option for heightened privacy on demand.
This update is effective in the latest version of sudo-rs, now available in Ubuntu 26.04 LTS. For those running the recent beta or earlier builds, the latest version can be acquired through the Software Updater or via apt.
For more insights on this update, you can check the original sources discussing the benefits and functionality of the new sudo behavior: Ubuntu’s switch to sudo-rs.