diff --git a/beagleboard.org_image.sh b/beagleboard.org_image.sh
index 346f3db14e97d54dec2c2521a321b3ad0b324f1f..681917b9c89a0a2cfb0a72b20ba1f929b2f96ea0 100755
--- a/beagleboard.org_image.sh
+++ b/beagleboard.org_image.sh
@@ -87,6 +87,7 @@ minimal_armel () {
 		user_name="${user_name}"
 		full_name="${full_name}"
 		password="${password}"
+		chroot_nuke_root_password="${chroot_nuke_root_password}"
 
 		include_firmware="${include_firmware}"
 
@@ -298,6 +299,7 @@ chroot_COPY_SETUP_SDCARD="enable"
 #FIXME: things to add to .config:
 include_firmware="enable"
 chroot_rcnee_startup_scripts="enable"
+chroot_nuke_root_password="enable"
 #chroot_cloud9_ide="enable"
 #no_pkgs="enable"
 
diff --git a/scripts/chroot.sh b/scripts/chroot.sh
index 68475f217c216bbf3c6dc5bab1589a6862b822d7..7a72814684287fe9ebbb2d0723a3e2cd5207bc8b 100755
--- a/scripts/chroot.sh
+++ b/scripts/chroot.sh
@@ -561,6 +561,12 @@ cat > ${DIR}/chroot_script.sh <<-__EOF__
 			root
 			root
 			EOF
+
+			if [ "x${chroot_nuke_root_password}" = "xenable" ] ; then
+				root_password=\$(cat /etc/shadow | grep root | awk -F ':' '{print \$2}')
+				sed -i -e 's:'\$root_password'::g' /etc/shadow
+			fi
+
 			;;
 		Ubuntu)
 			passwd -l root || true