Linux File Permission Remediation Command
A penetration test revealed that several Linux servers were misconfigured at the file level and access was granted incorrectly. A security analyst is referencing the instructions in the incident response runbook for remediation information. Which of the following is the best command to use to resolve the issue?
Community Votes
100% of anonymous learners picked answer A. Votes are pick records left by other test-takers — they are not the verified answer.
Community Insight
The exam tests identification of commands by their function; the trap is confusing administrative tools with diagnostic or search utilities.
This question tests knowledge of Linux commands for file security. The page establishes that 'chmod' is the correct tool for remediating misconfigured file-level access permissions.
Learners might choose 'grep' if they confuse 'remediation' (fixing) with 'investigation' (searching), but grep only finds text, it does not change permissions.
Community Discussion (5 comments)
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Expert Analysis
Why the Answer Is Correct
The scenario explicitly states that servers were misconfigured at the file level and access was granted incorrectly. To remediate this, the analyst must modify the file system permissions. The commandchmod stands for 'change mode' and is the standard Linux utility used to set read, write, and execute permissions for users, groups, and others on files and directories.Why the Other Options Are Wrong
Option B,cat, is used to display file contents or concatenate files, which does not alter permissions. Option C, grep, is a pattern matching tool used for searching text within files; while useful for auditing, it cannot fix configuration issues. Option D, dig, is a DNS lookup utility used to query name servers, which is unrelated to local file system access control.Community Comment Notes
Community feedback universally supports option A. As noted by user AspiringNerd, 'chmod' changes access permissions, whereas other options like 'cat' or 'grep' serve different purposes. User shady23 emphasized that using appropriate options with 'chmod' allows the analyst to restrict access appropriately, confirming the remediation aspect of the question.Exam Strategy
When reading questions about 'remediation' or 'fixing' configurations, look for commands that actively change state (like chmod, chown, iptables). Avoid selecting tools that only read or report data (like cat, grep, netstat) unless the question asks for investigation rather than correction.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does the chmod command stand for?
chmod stands for 'change mode'. It is used in Unix-like systems to change the access permissions of file system objects.
Why is grep not used for fixing permissions?
Grep is a search tool used to find text patterns within files. It does not have the capability to modify file attributes or permissions.