Mac OS X 10.5: sudo command requires a non-blank admin password

Issue or symptom

The sudo Terminal command can be used by administrators to execute commands as a different user (for example, as root). When executing this command, you will be prompted to enter the password for the administrator account you are currently logged in as. In Mac OS X 10.5 or later, if you press the Return key at the password prompt without entering a password (even if the user has no password, which is not recommended), the command entered will not execute and you will be returned to a command prompt.

Solution

If your administrator account has no password (a blank password), you create a password, then use the sudo command.

After you are done using the sudo command, you can change your account password again, although it is recommended that your administrator account has a non-blank password to make your Mac more secure.

Note: Many commands in Terminal will return you to a command prompt without displaying any messages when the command executes successfully. You can be assured that the command used with sudo is being executed anytime you enter a non-blank password at the prompt, even when you are returned to a command prompt with no other messages displayed.