Changing the root password in MariaDB on Debian Linux

The root password can be changed:

$ mysql -u root -p

$ use mysql;

# Do _not_ use YourNewPassword in your work
$ update user set password=PASSWORD("YourNewPassword") where User='root';

$ flush privileges;

$ quit

Reference:

http://www.cyberciti.biz/faq/mysql-change-root-password/