hardMultiple ChoiceObjective-mapped
XK0-006 Practice Question: Set a password expiration policy so that all…
An administrator needs to set a password expiration policy so that all users must change their password every 90 days. Which command and option accomplishes this for an existing user?
⚠ Common exam trap
Test-takers frequently confuse the `-M` (maximum days) option with the `-W` (warning days) option, or incorrectly assume `passwd` or `usermod` can set password aging, when in fact `chage` is the dedicated utility for this purpose.
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
✓
chage -M 90 <username>
The `chage -M 90 <username>` command sets the maximum number of days a password is valid for an existing user. The `-M` option specifies the maximum password age in days, so after 90 days the user will be forced to change their password. This directly implements the required 90-day password expiration policy.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
usermod -e 90 <username>
Why it's wrong here
usermod -e sets the account expiration date (absolute date), not password age.
- ✗
passwd -x 90 <username>
Why it's wrong here
The passwd command does not have a -x option; -x is used by chage.
- ✗
chage -W 90 <username>
Why it's wrong here
chage -W sets the number of days before expiration to warn the user, not the maximum age.
- ✓
chage -M 90 <username>
Why this is correct
This sets the maximum password age to 90 days; the user must change the password after that period.
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
User and Group Administration
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
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.
About these practice questions
Courseiva writes every XK0-006 question from scratch — 979 in total, each with an explanation and a wrong-answer breakdown. None are copied from real exams or dumps. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
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.