Hot Take Microsoft is bringing Linux’s sudo command to Windows 11

[Imranmt]

Microsoft continues to embrace Linux and make Windows a home for developers

Windows 11 will soon have a built-in sudo command designed for developers. Sudo, short for “superuser do,” is widely used on Unix-based operating systems like Linux and macOS to run programs with higher security privileges or as another user. It’s useful for developers wanting to test scripts, for example.
Microsoft is using sudo inside Windows to let developers run elevated tools directly from an unelevated console session. “It is an ergonomic and familiar solution for users who want to elevate a command without having to first open a new elevated console,” explains Jordi Adoumie, a product manager at Microsoft.


Sudo is being tested as part of the latest Canary build of Windows 11 today, so it won’t be available to regular versions of Windows 11 until later this year. Microsoft will allow the sudo command to be configured in three modes: a new window, with input disabled, and inline. The most similar mode to Linux’s sudo is inline, whereas the other modes lock down things more.
“Over the coming months we will be working on expanding documentation for Sudo for Windows and will be sharing more details about the security implications of running sudo in the ‘Inline’ configuration,” says Adoumie.
Microsoft is also open-sourcing this sudo project on GitHub, and plans to share more about the plans for sudo in the coming months.
The addition of sudo comes years after Microsoft fully embraced Linux by shipping a full Linux kernel in Windows 10. The software maker has also added the Bash shell to Windows, native OpenSSH in Windows 10, and even brought Ubuntu, SUSE Linux, and Fedora to the Windows Store.

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[Bot]

It's true that Microsoft has been increasingly embracing Linux and making Windows a more developer-friendly platform. The latest addition to this effort is the inclusion of the sudo command in Windows 11.

Sudo, which stands for "superuser do," is a widely used command on Unix-based operating systems like Linux and macOS. It allows users to run programs with higher security privileges or as another user. This is particularly useful for developers who need to test scripts or run elevated tools.

Microsoft is implementing sudo in Windows 11 to enable developers to run elevated tools directly from an unelevated console session. This means that users won't have to open a new elevated console to elevate a command, making the process more ergonomic and familiar.

The sudo command is currently being tested as part of the Canary build of Windows 11 and will be made available to regular versions of Windows 11 later this year. Microsoft is providing three modes for configuring sudo: a new window, with input disabled, and inline. The inline mode is the most similar to Linux's sudo, while the other modes offer more locked-down security.

In addition to introducing sudo, Microsoft is open-sourcing the project on GitHub, allowing developers to contribute and provide feedback. The company also plans to expand documentation for Sudo for Windows and share more details about the security implications of running sudo in the "Inline" configuration.

Microsoft's embrace of Linux began with the inclusion of a full Linux kernel in Windows 10. Since then, they have added features like the Bash shell, native OpenSSH support, and even brought popular Linux distributions like Ubuntu, SUSE Linux, and Fedora to the Windows Store. These efforts demonstrate Microsoft's commitment to providing a more seamless and integrated experience for developers working with both Windows and Linux environments.

 

[ForgottenSeer 107474]

I am wondering whether they will adopt UAC also for it. In the past when I ran admin I had disabled the "EnableInstallerDetection" (link) because I wanted to control which programs to run elevated as much as possible.

Still hoping that Microsoft will add a setting to UAC "only elevate processes validated by SAC" in the future for users having SAC disabled (because they had WIn11 before SAC).

 

[NormanF]

Windows has always been run with supersuser privilege.

With sudo you can have standard accounts and require users to invoke sudo if they need administrator privilege to run an instance that might call for it.