Create or modify the cqlshrc file that specifies a role name and password.

[authentication]
username = fred
password = !!bang!!$

Save the file in home/.cassandra directory and name it cqlshrc.

Set permissions on the file to prevent unauthorized access, as the password is stored in plain text. The file must be readable by the user that starts cassandra.

chmod 440 `home/.cassandra/cqlshrc`

Check the permissions on home/.cassandra/cqlshrc_history to ensure that plain text passwords are not compromised.