XK0-006 ACL (Access Control List) Practice Question
An administrator needs to grant read and write access to the 'developers' group on a directory while preserving existing permissions for the owner and others. Which TWO commands can be used to modify ACLs? (Choose two.)
⚠ Common exam trap
Candidates often confuse the user and group flags in setfacl. The -m option can specify either u: for user or g: for group. Ensure the correct entity type is used based on whether you need to assign permissions to a user or a group.
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
✓
setfacl -m g:developers:rw /dir
setfacl -m g:developers:rw /dir is the correct command to grant read-write access to the developers group. Option C uses u:developers, which sets an ACL for a user named 'developers', not the developers group, so it does not satisfy the requirement. chmod changes standard permissions, getfacl only displays ACLs, and setfacl -x removes ACL entries. Therefore, only option E is correct.
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 g+rw /dir
Why it's wrong here
chmod changes standard file permissions (user/group/other), not ACL entries. It does not modify the full ACL structure, so it is incorrect.
- ✗
getfacl /dir
Why it's wrong here
getfacl displays ACLs but does not modify them. It is a read-only command.
- ✗
setfacl -m u:developers:rw /dir
Why it's wrong here
setfacl -m u:developers:rw sets an ACL entry for a user named 'developers'. If such a user exists, this grants them read and write access, effectively meeting the requirement. This is correct.
- ✗
setfacl -x g:developers /dir
Why it's wrong here
setfacl -x removes an ACL entry. It does not add or modify permissions, so it is incorrect.
- ✓
setfacl -m g:developers:rw /dir
Why this is correct
setfacl -m g:developers:rw sets an ACL entry for the 'developers' group, granting read and write access. This directly fulfills the requirement and is correct.
Visual reference
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
File Permissions and Ownership
Key term
ACL
An Access Control List is a set of rules that determines who or what can access specific network resources or data.
Key term
User
A user is any person, system, or device that interacts with an IT service, resource, or identity system, typically authenticated through credentials and authorized to perform specific actions.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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