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XK0-006 Practice Question: A security policy requires that all SUID files be…
A security policy requires that all SUID files be identified and reviewed. Which command can recursively find SUID files?
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
✓
find / -perm /4000
'find / -perm /4000' searches for files with the SUID bit set (the / before the permission mask indicates that any of the bits in 4000 must be set). Option A uses permission 0777, which finds world-writable files, not SUID. Option C uses 'ls -lR | grep' to locate files with an 's' in the owner execute position, which does identify SUID files, but parsing 'ls' output is fragile and not the recommended method; the question asks for a command, and while it can work, it is less reliable than 'find'. Option D uses '-perm -2000' which matches files with the SGID bit set, not SUID.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
find / -type f -perm 0777
Why it's wrong here
This finds world-writable files, not SUID.
- ✓
find / -perm /4000
Why this is correct
This finds files with the SUID bit set (4000).
- ✗
ls -lR | grep '^...s'
Why it's wrong here
Uses 'ls -lR | grep' to locate files with an 's' in the owner execute position. The -lR option enables recursive listing, so it does find SUID files recursively, but parsing 'ls' output is fragile and not the recommended method. The question asks for a command, and while it can work, 'find' is more reliable.
- ✗
find / -perm -2000
Why it's wrong here
This finds SGID files, not SUID.
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
Firewall and Security Basics
Key term
Policy
A policy is a set of rules or guidelines that defines how an organization manages, secures, and operates its IT systems and services.
Key term
SUID
SUID (Set User ID) is a special file permission in Linux that allows a user to run an executable file with the file owner's privileges, typically root, rather than their own.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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