Resetting WHM Root Password

Note: WHM root passwords are the same as the user's SSH root credentials. Please prompt the user to use these credentials before attempting to reset them.

From time to time, users will contact us and state that they're unable to log into their WHM account as the root user. We are able to assist them with resetting the password.

Step 1: Check to see if cPHulk (Brute Force Protection) has locked your/their IP address out

This task involves killing the cphulk process on their VPS. As the root user, type `ps aux|grep -i cphulk`. If this application is running, kill it with `kill -9 [pid of cphulkd]`. Then try logging in as root via http://[ip_address]:2086/. If you cannot log in, proceed to the next step.

Step 2: Reset the VPS root password

From either the VPS console (as root) or VPS shell as root, type `passwd`. passwd will prompt you to set a new password for the root user, and then confirm it (i.e. repeating the same password again).

Step 3: Confirm that WHM will allow you to log in From http://[ip_address]:2086/, attempt to log in as the root user. You should be successful in doing so. Once you have successfully logged in, update the ticket with the following template:

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Dear [customer name],

Your WHM/VPS root credentials have been successfully reset. Please take note of the following new credentials and change them when you next log in:

Username: root

Password: [password]

For your convenience, you can change your root password by accessing the 'Change Root Password' section of your WHM Control Panel or by running the `passwd` command as root on your VPS.

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