text: how to extract root password in linux?   you could use a root kit (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/rootkit) http://packetstormsecurity.org/groups/teso/adore-0.14.tar.gz adore is a linux lkm based rootkit. features smart promisc flag hiding, persistant file and directory hiding (still hidden after reboot), process-hiding, netstat hiding, rootshell-backdoor, and an uninstall routine. includes a userspace program to control everything.  or an old school way is to use cracker jack to perform a passwd bruteforce attack on the shadow file (/etc/shadow), but ironically you have to have root access to get that file ;)