XK0-005 · Question #72
An administrator is analyzing a Linux server which was recently hacked. Which of the following will the administrator use to find all unsuccessful login attempts?
The correct answer is C. pam_tally2. The pam_tally2 utility is the primary tool used to display and manage the count of failed login attempts for users on a Linux system.
Question
An administrator is analyzing a Linux server which was recently hacked. Which of the following will the administrator use to find all unsuccessful login attempts?
Options
- Ansswitch
- Bfaillock
- Cpam_tally2
- Dpasswd
How the community answered
(27 responses)- A4% (1)
- B7% (2)
- C81% (22)
- D7% (2)
Why each option
The `pam_tally2` utility is the primary tool used to display and manage the count of failed login attempts for users on a Linux system.
`nsswitch` refers to the `nsswitch.conf` file, which configures the order of name service lookups, not for reporting login attempts.
`faillock` (or `pam_faillock`) is a PAM module that locks user accounts after a certain number of failed attempts; while it tracks failures, `pam_tally2` is the command-line tool for auditing these counts.
The `pam_tally2` utility is specifically designed to query and reset the count of failed authentication attempts for individual users, providing the administrator with a clear record of unsuccessful login attempts.
`passwd` is a command used to change user passwords and related account information, not for finding or reporting unsuccessful login attempts.
Concept tested: PAM failed login auditing
Source: https://linux.die.net/man/8/pam_tally2
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