EC-Council
312-50V10 · Question #45
312-50V10 Question #45: Real Exam Question with Answer & Explanation
The correct answer is B: The password file does not contain the passwords themselves.. On modern Linux systems, /etc/passwd stores account metadata but not actual password hashes - those are stored in /etc/shadow, making the passwd file far less useful for credential theft.
System Hacking
Question
A hacker has managed to gain access to a Linux host and stolen the password file from /etc/passwd. How can he use it?
Options
- AThe file reveals the passwords to the root user only.
- BThe password file does not contain the passwords themselves.
- CHe cannot read it because it is encrypted.
- DHe can open it and read the user ids and corresponding passwords.
Explanation
On modern Linux systems, /etc/passwd stores account metadata but not actual password hashes - those are stored in /etc/shadow, making the passwd file far less useful for credential theft.
Common mistakes.
- A. The file does not reveal any passwords, not even for root - root's hash is also stored in /etc/shadow, not /etc/passwd.
- C. The file is not encrypted and is world-readable by design; the reason it is not useful for password cracking is that it lacks the actual hashes, not because it is inaccessible.
- D. The file does not contain corresponding passwords; it contains UIDs, GIDs, home directories, and shells, but password hashes moved to /etc/shadow decades ago.
Concept tested. Linux shadow password file separation
Reference. https://man7.org/linux/man-pages/man5/shadow.5.html
Topics
#password file#/etc/passwd#Linux credentials#shadow passwords
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