Linux Setting Ownership and Permissions

You are the system administrator for a company's marketing department. A shared document folder needs to be accessible for read/write access by all marketing team members but should be modifiable only by the marketing manager. What's the most appropriate approach?

• Set the folder permissions to grant read/write access for everyone.
• Assign ownership of the folder to the marketing manager and set group permissions to read/write.
• Set the folder permissions to read-only for everyone.
• Create a group for the marketing team and grant them read/write access, while setting the folder owner to the marketing manager.

Answer explanation

While option (Assign ownership of the folder to the marketing manager and set group permissions to read/write.) allows modification by the manager and read access for the team, option (Set the folder permissions to read-only for everyone.) provides granular control. The marketing team can access and modify documents within the group permissions, while the manager retains ownership for additional control if needed.

You're managing a web server and need to restrict access to a critical configuration file. The web server process itself needs read access to this file. What permission settings would achieve this?

• rw-r-----
• rw-rw----
• r-x------
• rw-------

Answer explanation

(r-x------) grants read-only access (r) to the owner (web server process) and no permissions for others. This ensures the configuration file remains secure while allowing the web server to function.

You accidentally delete a file on your Linux system. Is there a way to recover it?

• No
• It depends
• Yes
• There's no way to recover deleted files in Linux.

Answer explanation

There's no way to recover deleted files in Linux. Depending on your filesystem configuration, tools like photorec or utilities offered by your specific distro might help recover recently deleted files.

A colleague needs temporary write access to a specific directory on your Linux system. How can you grant them access without modifying group memberships?

• Modify file permissions for the directory to grant write access for everyone.
• There's no way to grant temporary access without modifying group memberships.
• Create a new group specifically for this purpose and add your colleague.
• Change the ownership of the directory to your colleague's user account.

Answer explanation

Modifying file permissions for the directory allows controlled access without permanent group changes. You can revert the permissions later.

You suspect a critical system file might have been tampered with. What's the first step to investigate?

• Modify the file permissions to prevent further changes.
• Immediately delete the file.
• Compare the file's modification time with previous backups.
• Use the chgrp command to change the file's group ownership.

Answer explanation

Comparing modification times with backups helps identify discrepancies that might indicate tampering.

While working on a development project, you and your teammate need shared read/write access to all project files. What's the recommended approach for permission management?

• Set all project directory permissions to allow full access for everyone.
• Create a group for your development team and assign ownership of all project files to that group.
• There's no need to modify permissions as user accounts inherently have access to their own files.
• Modify individual file permissions for each project file.

Answer explanation

Creating a group and assigning ownership ensures controlled access within the development team while maintaining security.

You identify an unused directory on a server that contains sensitive log files. How can you secure these files?

• There's no need to modify permissions as unused directories are inherently secure.
• Delete the directory to eliminate any security risks.
• Set the directory permissions to deny all access for everyone.
• Change ownership of the directory to a system account with limited privileges.

Answer explanation

Denying all access with permissions ensures the log files remain secure even if someone discovers the directory.

The chmod command is used to:

• View file permissions.
• Set file ownership.
• Modify file timestamps.
• Change file permissions.

Answer explanation

The chmod command is specifically designed for modifying file permissions.

You're troubleshooting file access issues for a user. After verifying ownership and group membership, what should you check next?

• The user's home directory permissions.
• The availability of the disk space.
• The system uptime and resource usage.
• The file's existence in the filesystem.

Answer explanation

File permissions dictate a user's access level, so incorrect permissions on the home directory or the file itself could explain access issues.

When setting up a new web server, what's the recommended approach for file ownership of web content?

• Assign ownership of all web content to the root user account for maximum control.
• Grant ownership of web content to the user account running the web server process.
• Set web content ownership to a dedicated user account with limited privileges.
• Allow full read/write access for everyone on the web content directory.

Answer explanation

A dedicated user with limited privileges minimizes potential damage if the web server account is compromised.