#1134098 "Enter root password for system maintenance" doesn't accept passwords longer than 127 characters

Package:
initscripts
Source:
initscripts
Submitter:
Andy Bennett
Date:
2026-04-18 15:03:02 UTC
Severity:
normal
Tags:
#1134098#5
Date:
2026-04-16 10:14:34 UTC
From:
To:
When a volume mount times out during boot the console asks for the root
password:
-----
You are in emergency mode. After logging in, type "journalctl -xb" to
view
system logs, "systemctl reboot" to reboot, or "exit"
to continue bootup.
Enter root password for system maintenance
(or press Control-D to continue):
-----

If my password is longer than 127 characters then I cannot log in:

-----
(or press Control-D to continue): sulogin: input overrun at /dev/hvc0
-----

The above message appears when I key in the 128th character and then
boot tries to continue as if I'd pressed "Control-D" and then eventually
times out again.


The length limit should be the same as the length limit in the Debian
installer so that I cannot set a password that I can't use to rescue the
system.

A password longer than 127 characters works at the regular console login
prompt.
#1134098#8
Date:
2026-04-16 11:22:23 UTC
From:
To:
Andy,

Thanks.
src:util-linux.

Chris,

I don't want to reassign this prematurely, but I think this might be for
you. Any comments?

Thanks

Mark
#1134098#13
Date:
2026-04-16 15:17:05 UTC
From:
To:
Hi Andy

could you clarify if you are using systemd a init?
I don't think initscripts code (that is used with sysvinit)
is printing that message with the recommendation to look at
"journalctl -xb" output or type "systemctl reboot"

Best,
Lorenzo

On Thu, 16 Apr 2026 12:22:23 +0100 Mark Hindley <mark@hindley.org.uk> wrote:
#1134098#18
Date:
2026-04-16 15:55:37 UTC
From:
To:
Lorenzo,

Yes, I had wondered that as well.

But this is trixie's version and systemd has conflicted with initscripts since
254.3-1. Trixie's systemd is 257.9-1~deb13u1, so they shouldn't be
coinstallable.

Andy,

Can you clarify further?

Thanks

Mark
#1134098#23
Date:
2026-04-16 16:21:11 UTC
From:
To:
Hi,

I think I got it wrong:

-----
# dpkg -l systemd
Desired=Unknown/Install/Remove/Purge/Hold
|
Status=Not/Inst/Conf-files/Unpacked/halF-conf/Half-inst/trig-aWait/Trig-pend
|/ Err?=(none)/Reinst-required (Status,Err: uppercase=bad)
||/ Name           Version         Architecture Description
+++-==============-===============-============-=================================
ii  systemd        257.9-1~deb13u1 amd64        system and service
manager
-----



-----
# dpkg -l initscripts
Desired=Unknown/Install/Remove/Purge/Hold
|
Status=Not/Inst/Conf-files/Unpacked/halF-conf/Half-inst/trig-aWait/Trig-pend
|/ Err?=(none)/Reinst-required (Status,Err: uppercase=bad)
||/ Name           Version      Architecture Description
+++-==============-============-============-=================================
un  initscripts    <none>       <none>       (no description available)
-----
#1134098#28
Date:
2026-04-16 16:24:54 UTC
From:
To:
Andy,

Thanks for the clarification.

Reassigning to systemd.

Mark
#1134098#39
Date:
2026-04-16 15:45:51 UTC
From:
To:
Hi,

Thanks Mark!

Thanks Lorenzo!

I'm using the default that comes with Trixie which I think is systemd.
#1134098#48
Date:
2026-04-18 15:01:55 UTC
From:
To:
Control: tags -1 upstream
Control: severity -1 wishlist

Indeed this is by design in util-linux's sulogin, inheriting the 128
byte buffer size from sysvinit's original implementation. Thus this
leads back at least to 1998.

Best,
Chris