XK0-006 System Management Practice Question
An administrator needs to apply a set of permissions to an existing directory and all its contents, setting the owner to 'rwx', group to 'rx', and others to '---'. Additionally, newly created files within the directory should inherit the group. Which commands should the administrator run? (Assume the directory is /data, and the group is 'staff'.)
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
✓
chmod -R 750 /data; chmod g+s /data
chmod -R 750 /data sets permissions recursively. chmod g+s /data sets the SGID bit so new files inherit the group. The other options are missing SGID or have wrong permissions.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
chmod -R 750 /data; chmod g+s /data
Why this is correct
Correct: 750 grants rwxr-x---; chmod g+s sets SGID on directory.
- ✗
chmod 750 /data; chmod g+s /data
Why it's wrong here
Missing -R; changes only the directory itself, not its contents.
- ✗
chmod -R 755 /data; chmod g+s /data
Why it's wrong here
755 gives others rx, which is not desired.
- ✗
chmod -R 750 /data
Why it's wrong here
Missing SGID bit; new files will not inherit group.
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
File Permissions and Ownership
Key term
chmod
chmod is a command in Linux and Unix-like operating systems used to change the permissions (read, write, execute) of a file or directory.
Key term
SGID
SGID stands for Set Group ID, a Unix/Linux file permission that allows a process or executable to run with the group privileges of the file's group owner, not the user who runs it.
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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.