Locating shadow password hashes | LinuC Level 1 102 Exam original practice question

1.10.2Basic

On a host where /etc/passwd password fields contain x, locate the file holding password hashes.

Which file is appropriate?

Hint 1: Focus on security boundaries

Separate protected account data, service availability directives, and packet-filtering policy before comparing the choices.

Hint 2: Key terms

Review the short definitions of protected account data, service controls, and firewall layers involved.

/etc/passwd: The account database containing names, IDs, home paths, and login shells.
/etc/shadow: The protected database containing password hashes and aging fields.
Shadow password: A design that separates authentication secrets from public account fields.
Password marker: A placeholder in passwd that indicates the hash is stored separately.

Detailed explanation

Correct/etc/shadow

Correct. /etc/shadow stores the password hashes and aging fields.

Incorrect/etc/group

Incorrect. /etc/group stores group membership data.

Incorrect/etc/nologin

Incorrect. /etc/nologin temporarily blocks non-root logins.

Incorrect/etc/hosts

Incorrect. /etc/hosts maps names to addresses.

An example you can run in a temporary verification environment.

printf '%s
' 'trainee:x:1000:1000::/home/trainee:/bin/bash' | cut -d: -f1,2

trainee:x

Foundation review

Sensitive authentication data stored separately from ordinary account records.

Whether a service can start automatically or be activated on demand.

A host firewall rule set that permits or rejects network packets.

Question IDKL-102-1133

EnvironmentGNU cut / 一時入力のみ

Last technical review2026-08-20

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