Use sudo safely

sudo is how you run a single command with admin rights from your normal account. It's the safe alternative to logging in as root, because it grants that power one command at a time and asks for your password first.

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CE: User Access ControlEasy

A computer command-line / terminal screen

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The safe habits

Three simple habits keep sudo safe to use.

Run as yourself, use sudo when needed. Type sudo in front of a command only when that command genuinely needs admin rights. Don't start a root shell and leave it open.
Read the command before you run it. A command with sudo can change anything. If you copied it from somewhere, make sure you understand what it does first.
Be very careful with install scripts. Commands like curl ... | sudo bash run whatever the website sends, with full rights. Only ever run these from a source you trust completely.

3 steps

Who should have sudo

Only accounts that need to manage the system should be in the sudo group (called wheel on Fedora). If you share the machine, keep other people on standard accounts without sudo unless they have a real reason to have it.

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