XK0-006 Security Practice Question
A security policy requires that all users must have passwords with at least one uppercase letter, one digit, and a minimum length of 12 characters. Which PAM configuration file and module should be used to enforce this?
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
✓
/etc/pam.d/common-password with pam_pwquality.so
pam_pwquality is used for password complexity requirements. It is typically configured in /etc/pam.d/common-password (or system-auth, password-auth) with options like minlen, ucredit, dcredit.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
/etc/pam.d/login with pam_securetty.so
Why it's wrong here
pam_securetty.so restricts root login on secure terminals.
- ✗
/etc/pam.d/sshd with pam_unix.so
Why it's wrong here
pam_unix.so handles password hashing, not complexity.
- ✗
/etc/pam.d/sudo with pam_permit.so
Why it's wrong here
pam_permit.so always succeeds and does not enforce complexity.
- ✓
/etc/pam.d/common-password with pam_pwquality.so
Why this is correct
pam_pwquality.so enforces password complexity rules.
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
File Permissions and Ownership
Key term
PAM
Privileged Access Management (PAM) is a security framework that controls, monitors, and audits access to critical systems and accounts with elevated permissions.
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.
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JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This XK0-006 practice question is part of Courseiva's free CompTIA certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the XK0-006 exam.