- A
admin
Why wrong: admin group is rarely used for sudo; wheel is more common.
- B
wheel
Members of wheel group often have sudo privileges.
- C
root
Why wrong: Being in root group does not grant sudo by default.
- D
sudo
Why wrong: Some distributions use a 'sudo' group, but wheel is standard in many.
Question 638 of 981
XK0-005 Security Practice Question
This XK0-005 practice question tests your understanding of security. This is a configuration task: choose the command set that satisfies every stated requirement. Small differences — like 'secret' vs 'password' or 'transport input ssh' vs 'all' — change whether the answer is correct. After answering, compare your reasoning against the explanation and wrong-answer breakdown below. Once you have made your selection, read the full explanation to reinforce the concept and understand why each distractor is designed to mislead on exam day.
An administrator notices that a non-root user 'alice' can run commands as root without being in the sudoers file. Which group membership could allow 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
✓
wheel
Option B is correct because on many Linux distributions, membership in the 'wheel' group is a standard mechanism that allows non-root users to execute commands with root privileges via the 'su' command, even if they are not listed in the sudoers file. The 'wheel' group is traditionally used to control access to the 'su' utility, and by default, PAM (Pluggable Authentication Modules) configuration often permits members of the 'wheel' group to switch to the root user without additional sudo configuration.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
admin
Why it's wrong here
admin group is rarely used for sudo; wheel is more common.
- ✓
wheel
Why this is correct
Members of wheel group often have sudo privileges.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
root
Why it's wrong here
Being in root group does not grant sudo by default.
- ✗
sudo
Why it's wrong here
Some distributions use a 'sudo' group, but wheel is standard in many.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often focus solely on sudo and the 'sudo' group, overlooking the alternative privilege escalation path through the 'wheel' group and the 'su' command, which is a common misconfiguration in Linux security audits.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
The 'wheel' group's role in privilege escalation is enforced by PAM's 'pam_wheel.so' module, which is typically configured in '/etc/pam.d/su' to require group membership for 'su' access. This mechanism predates sudo and is still used in distributions like Red Hat Enterprise Linux and CentOS, where the default PAM configuration restricts 'su' to members of the 'wheel' group. In a real-world scenario, an administrator might inadvertently add a user to the 'wheel' group for administrative convenience, not realizing it bypasses sudo restrictions and grants direct root shell access via 'su -'.
KKey Concepts to Remember
- Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- Find the constraint that changes the correct option.
- Eliminate answers that are true in general but not in this case.
TExam Day Tips
- Watch for words such as best, first, most likely and least administrative effort.
- Review why wrong options are wrong, not only why the correct option is correct.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
A security administrator must allow nursing staff to reach a patient records server while blocking access from the guest Wi-Fi VLAN. After applying an extended ACL, traffic is still blocked from nursing workstations. The ACL was applied outbound instead of inbound on the wrong interface. Questions like this test ACL direction and placement rules.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this XK0-005 question test?
Security — This question tests Security — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: wheel — Option B is correct because on many Linux distributions, membership in the 'wheel' group is a standard mechanism that allows non-root users to execute commands with root privileges via the 'su' command, even if they are not listed in the sudoers file. The 'wheel' group is traditionally used to control access to the 'su' utility, and by default, PAM (Pluggable Authentication Modules) configuration often permits members of the 'wheel' group to switch to the root user without additional sudo configuration.
What should I do if I get this XK0-005 question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jul 4, 2026
This XK0-005 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 XK0-005 exam.
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