Software⏱️ 2 min read📅 2026-05-31

How to Fix: Why is sudoers NOPASSWD option not working?

Ubuntu sudo configuration issue with NOPASSWD option

Quick Answer: The issue is likely due to the fact that Ubuntu 11.10 uses a different sudo configuration than OpenSuSE. The NOPASSWD option in /etc/sudoers requires the user to be listed as a member of the sudo group.

To resolve the issue of the `NOPASSWD` option not working in Ubuntu, you need to update your system to use a PAM (Pluggable Authentication Module) configuration. The default configuration used by Ubuntu is not compatible with the `NOPASSWD` directive.

🔧 Proven Troubleshooting Steps

Method 1: Update PAM Configuration

  1. Step 1: Edit the `/etc/pam.d/sudo` file and add the following lines at the end of the file:
sudo    required      pam_unix.so nullok

Method 2: Update sudoers File (Alternative)

  1. Step 1: Open the `/etc/sudoers` file in a text editor and add the following line at the end of the file:
gatoatigrado ALL=(ALL) NOPASSWD: /bin/set-slow-cpufreq

✨ Wrapping Up

After applying these changes, you need to restart the `sudo` service and then try running the command again. The `NOPASSWD` option should now work as expected.

Did this fix your problem?

If not, try searching for specific error codes.

🔍 Search Error Database

❓ Frequently Asked Questions