hardMultiple ChoiceObjective-mapped
XK0-006 Practice Question: During a security audit, a Linux administrator…
During a security audit, a Linux administrator finds that an unauthorized service is listening on TCP port 4444. The service is not managed by systemd. Which of the following commands should the administrator use to identify the process and disable it?
⚠ Common exam trap
Test-takers frequently assume all services are managed by systemd and reach for 'systemctl stop' or 'systemctl disable', but the question explicitly states the service is not managed by systemd, so only process-level commands like 'kill' are valid.
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
✓
Run 'ss -tlnp | grep :4444' to find the PID, then use 'kill' to terminate the process.
'ss -tlnp' lists TCP listening sockets with numeric addresses and the associated process PID. Piping the output through 'grep :4444' isolates the unauthorized service, and the PID can then be used with 'kill' to terminate the process. Since the service is not managed by systemd, systemctl commands are irrelevant, making 'kill' the appropriate method to stop the process.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Run 'ss -tlnp | grep :4444' to find the PID, then use 'kill' to terminate the process.
Why this is correct
ss -tlnp shows listening sockets with PIDs; kill can then stop the process.
- ✗
Run 'fuser 4444/tcp' to find the PID and then use 'systemctl stop' to stop the service.
Why it's wrong here
fuser can find the PID, but systemctl cannot stop a non-systemd service.
- ✗
Run 'lsof -i :4444' to find the PID, then use 'systemctl disable' to disable the service.
Why it's wrong here
lsof finds the PID but systemctl disable only applies to systemd services.
- ✗
Run 'systemctl status' to find the service name, then use 'systemctl stop' to stop it.
Why it's wrong here
systemctl cannot show or manage non-systemd services.
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
Linux Fundamentals and History
Key term
Output
In IT service management, output is the result or deliverable produced by a process, system, or component, such as data, reports, or services delivered to a customer.
Key term
systemctl
systemctl is the command-line tool used to inspect, start, stop, enable, or disable services managed by the systemd init system in Linux.
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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.