XK0-006 Security Practice Question
A Linux administrator needs to grant a user named 'bob' the ability to run the /usr/bin/systemctl command as root without being prompted for a password. Which entry should be added to the sudoers file to accomplish this?
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap here is forgetting that sudoers requires absolute paths for commands and misplacing the NOPASSWD tag, leading to a non-functional or overly permissive rule.
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
bob ALL=(ALL) NOPASSWD: /usr/bin/systemctl
The sudoers entry must specify the user, hosts, target user, the NOPASSWD tag, and the full path to the command. The line 'bob ALL=(ALL) NOPASSWD: /usr/bin/systemctl' grants exactly the intended permission without a password, while other options either require a password, lack the full path, or grant excessive privileges. Always use visudo to edit sudoers to avoid syntax errors.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
bob ALL=(ALL) NOPASSWD: ALL
Why it's wrong here
This entry grants bob passwordless access to all commands, which is far broader than required. It gives full root privileges without a password, violating the principle of least privilege. The task is to allow only systemctl, so this over-permissive entry is incorrect.
- ✗
bob ALL=(root) NOPASSWD: systemctl
Why it's wrong here
While this entry uses NOPASSWD, it specifies the command as 'systemctl' without the full path. Sudoers requires absolute paths for commands to prevent path manipulation attacks. Using a relative command name will cause a syntax error or may not work as intended. The full path /usr/bin/systemctl is necessary.
- ✗
bob ALL=(ALL) PASSWD: /usr/bin/systemctl
Why it's wrong here
The PASSWD tag explicitly requires bob to enter his password when running systemctl, which contradicts the requirement for no password prompt. Additionally, PASSWD is the default behavior, so this entry would not change anything. The correct tag to suppress the password prompt is NOPASSWD.
- ✓
bob ALL=(ALL) NOPASSWD: /usr/bin/systemctl
Why this is correct
This sudoers entry allows user bob to run /usr/bin/systemctl as any user (including root) without a password prompt. The NOPASSWD tag disables the password requirement, and the command is specified with its full path as required by sudoers syntax. This precisely meets the requirement to grant passwordless systemctl execution.
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
File Permissions and Ownership
Key term
systemctl
systemctl is the command-line tool used to inspect, start, stop, enable, or disable services managed by the systemd init system in Linux.
Key term
Linux
Linux is an open-source operating system that manages computer hardware and software, widely used in servers, desktops, and embedded systems.
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JA
Written and reviewed by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
Last reviewed September 2026 · checked against the official CompTIA exam blueprint
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