mysql_secure_installation Does Not Work, and Fails Silently

[David Hillman]

FYI, on at least the current Ubuntu package, the included mysql_secure_installation utility does not work, and fails silently with no warning to the administrator.

I just installed 8.0.21-0ubuntu0.20.04.4 on a fresh install of Kubuntu 20.04.1 LTS. After a successful install, I ran the mysql_secure_installation utility. I provided it with a new root password, and asked it to: remove anonymous users, disallow remote root, remove the test database, and reload privileges. It appeared to accomplish each task successfully.

After completion, I again attempted to login as root with no password, and was successful. The root password that I provided to the utility does not work. I'm not sure what exactly this utility did to my permissions, but it didn't do what it claimed, and it didn't throw any errors.

So someone should probably have a look at it, and/or remove it from the package.