How to Make a User Hidden in Linux
Creating a hidden user account in Linux is helpful in a few ways. Most significantly, other users will not be able to see your username on the users list, so it adds a level of security. The challenging part to creating such an account is making sure the feature is not advertised or found on any of the "properties" menus or "options" panel in the users and groups controls.
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Instructions
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Open up the "Users and Groups" controls under "System" > "Administration."
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Create a new user by clicking "Add" under the list of present users. You will be asked to authenticate your administrative privileges by providing an administrative password.
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Type in the new user's name and password. You will be returned to the Users and Groups controls window.
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Select the user and click "Advanced Settings." Click the "Advanced" tab on the top right.
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Change the User ID at the bottom of the page to any number less than 1000. Changing this number makes the user hidden on the splash screen and on the "Switch User" menu. No other user will be able to find the new username.
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Tips & Warnings
If you want to hide the whole user list on the login screen, type the following into a terminal: sudo -u gdm gconftool-2 --set /apps/gdm/simple-greeter/disable_user_list --type bool true
User IDs below 100 are usually for system accounts, so try to avoid IDs that low. Stay between 100 and 999.
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