The official Raspberry Pi blog published an article today describing the changes in the most recent version to Raspberry Pi OS Bullseye. The most significant change is in the user account creation procedure, which will no longer include a default username, giving users an added degree of protection by allowing them to establish a personalized username right away.
The Raspberry Pi is recognized for being very simple to set up for newbies, thanks in part to the default username of 'pi.' However, by requiring each new user to use the same username, it was ensured that only a tiny percentage of users would use the Pi without changing the value to something unique. Bad actors may find it simpler to get access to Pi hardware if numerous users use a single login. Any would-be hackers are now one step further away thanks to this minor tweak.
This modification also necessitates the implementation of new setup procedures for new operating system installations. Users will now be presented by the setup wizard with a blank box to establish their own username when flashing a microSD card with a new instance of Raspberry Pi OS.
This new setup wizard isn't an optional step any longer. In order for the desktop to load, a user account must be created, therefore people will be unable to access the Pi until a username is supplied. According to the blog post, the new setup wizard procedure will be run in its own dedicated environment.
In addition to the improved account creation procedure, the Raspberry Pi Imager also includes a new tool that saves builders time while setting up Raspberry Pi OS, particularly for headless configurations. Before the OS is installed, users can choose a login, password, and any network settings in the new feature.
On the Raspberry Pi OS downloads page, you can get both the Raspberry Pi Imager and the freshly updated OS image. Check out the original post on the official Raspberry Pi blog for a deeper look at the changes and to discover what else is new.