Which of the following configuration files does sudo read when determining if a user is permitted to run applications with root privileges?

`/etc/groups` defines user groups but does not directly control `sudo` access permissions.

`/etc/passwd` contains user account information, but not `sudo` specific authorization rules.

The `/etc/sudoers` file is the central configuration file where administrators define which users or groups are granted `sudo` privileges, what commands they can run, and under what conditions, ensuring secure access control.

`/etc/sudo.conf` is used for general `sudo` settings, like plugin configuration, not for user-specific privilege rules.