Shopping platforms like OSCommerce need admin access to add or remove products.

But what if you can’t remember website access?

The only option is to reset the osCommerce admin password. And, any errors in password reset process will make store inaccessible.

At Bobcares, we receive many requests to reset the osCommerce admin password as part of our Server Management Services.

Today’s let’s check how our Support Engineers reset the admin password and fix the related errors.

How to reset the osCommerce admin password?

osCommerce is a free open source e-commerce solution, that helps store owners to set up and maintain online stores effectively.

So it is important to log in to the site and update products frequently.

But what if you get an incorrect password error when you try to log in? 

Let’s see the different methods to reset the osCommerce admin password.

1. Reset password via phpMyAdmin

osCommerce stores all the details in its MySQL database. We use phpMyAdmin to manage the databases. For resetting the admin password,

1. Firstly, we log in to cPanel.
2. Then, we navigate to phpMyAdmin.
3. After that, choose the osCommerce database on the right.
4. Next, we click on the Administrator table.
5. Then edit the record for username in the table.
6. After that, replace the contents in the password field and we provide the new password there.

This will change the osCommerce admin password to the new password given in the password field.

2. Using MySQL command

In the same way, we can reset the admin password easily from the MySQL command line too.

Firstly, we connect to the MySQL using the command,

mysql -u root -p

Then, this will prompt us to enter the MySQL root password.

After that, choose the osCommerce database using the command,

use osCommerce_dbname;

Next, reset the admin password from the Administrator table using the command,

UPDATE administrators SET admin_password=`6cdd7c57450225fac77427f5962bb726:40` WHERE admin.admin_id=1;

This will reset the admin password to “pass”. Now, we login to the osCommerce using this password and then change the password to a more secure one.

We choose the admin_id as per the value of the admin login in the administrator table.

Errors while resetting the osCommerce admin password

So far we have seen the different methods to reset the admin password. Now let’s move on to some common errors that occur while resetting the password.

1. Emptying database table

If we empty the administrator’s table and then try to log in, it will prompt us to create a new username and password. However, our Dedicated Engineers do not support this method for security reasons.

If there are multiple admins, emptying the administrators table would eliminate all the other admins. And, this becomes a security hole in your osCommerce too.

2. Incorrect database changes

Similarly, giving a naked password in a database table can also cause create security errors. It is always necessary to provide the password in the form of an MD5 hashed string for improved security.

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Conclusion

In today’s writeup, we discussed the different ways in which our Dedicated Engineers reset the osCommerce admin password. We have also seen the errors related to it.