Of the ways listed, which is the best way to temporarily suspend a single user's ability to interactively login?

Question

Options

• AAdd the user name to /etc/nologin.
• BChange the user's password.
• CChange the user name in /etc/passwd.
• DUse change to expire the user account.
• EPlace the command logout in the user's profile.

• A
  9% (4)
• B
  2% (1)
• C
  4% (2)
• D
  70% (33)
• E
  15% (7)

Explanation

Using chage (change age) to expire the account is the correct administrative approach because it directly and reversibly disables a single account without altering credentials or system-wide settings - simply run chage -E 0 username to expire it immediately, and reset the expiration date to re-enable it later.

Why the distractors fail:

• A - /etc/nologin blocks all non-root users when the file exists; it's not a per-user control and doesn't accept usernames as content.
• B - Changing the password is irreversible without knowing the original, creates a support burden, and doesn't cleanly signal "account suspended" to the system.
• C - Editing the username in /etc/passwd breaks file ownership, running processes, and cron jobs - it's destructive, not temporary.
• E - Placing logout in a profile script doesn't prevent login; it just terminates the session immediately after it starts, which is unreliable and easily bypassed.

Memory tip: Think of chage as "change age" - it controls the lifetime of an account. When you need to temporarily kill a single account, you're managing its age/expiration, so reach for chage.

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