LFCS Question #767: Real Exam Question with Answer & Explanation

Question

You have a user whose account you want to disable but not remove. What should you do?

Options

• AEdit /etc/gshadow and just remove his name.
• BEdit /etc/passwd and change all numbers to 0.
• CEdit /etc/shadow and remove the last field.
• DEdit /etc/passwd and insert an * after thefirst : .
• EEdit /etc/group file and put a # sign in front of his name.

Explanation

Inserting an asterisk (*) into the password field of /etc/passwd or /etc/shadow effectively disables the account by making the password invalid.

Common mistakes.

• A. Editing /etc/gshadow to remove a user's name would only affect group memberships for shadowed groups, not disable the user's login.
• B. Changing all numbers to 0 in /etc/passwd would corrupt the user's UID, GID, and other fields, potentially rendering the account unusable and causing system issues, rather than simply disabling login.
• C. Removing the last field from /etc/shadow (typically the expiry date) would not disable the password or account.
• E. Editing /etc/group and commenting out a user's name with # would not disable their login, it would only affect their group memberships.

Concept tested. Disabling a user account

Reference. https://linux.die.net/man/5/passwd

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