XK0-005 · Question #1651
A developer is unable to access a Linux server via SSH. Given the following output: Which of the following explains why the developer is unable to log in to the server?
The correct answer is B. The developer's account has been locked out. The developer is unable to log in to the server via SSH because their account has been locked, which prevents any successful authentication attempts.
Question
Exhibit
Options
- AThe developer's private key has been deleted from the server.
- BThe developer's account has been locked out.
- CThe developer's public key is in the wrong location.
- DSSH has been disabled for user log-in.
How the community answered
(33 responses)- A3% (1)
- B88% (29)
- C6% (2)
- D3% (1)
Why each option
The developer is unable to log in to the server via SSH because their account has been locked, which prevents any successful authentication attempts.
A private key resides on the *client* machine, not the server. If the corresponding public key on the server was deleted, authentication would fail, but it wouldn't directly lead to an 'account locked' state.
An account lockout explicitly prevents any further login attempts, regardless of correct credentials or SSH key setup, making it impossible for the developer to access the server.
If the developer's public key is in the wrong location on the server, SSH key authentication would fail, but this failure itself does not inherently result in an account lockout unless a brute-force policy is triggered.
If SSH was disabled for user login, the connection would typically be refused at an earlier stage, and the server would not usually provide an 'account locked' message.
Concept tested: SSH login issues, account lockout
Source: https://access.redhat.com/documentation/en-us/red_hat_enterprise_linux/7/html/security_guide/sec-locking_out_user_accounts
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