How should I use these Security practice questions?

Read each scenario carefully and choose your answer before revealing the explanation. Then check why your choice was right or wrong. Repeat until the reasoning feels automatic.

Can I practise just Security questions in a focused session?

Yes — use the session launcher on this page to start a 10-, 20-, 30- or 50-question session drawn entirely from the Security domain.

XK0-005 · topic practice

Security practice questions

Practise CompTIA Linux+ XK0-005 Security practice questions — original exam-style scenarios with answer choices, explanations, and analysis of common mistakes.

Courseiva uses original exam-style practice questions designed for learning and revision. The goal is to understand the concepts, recognise exam patterns, and improve through explanations — not memorise copied exam dumps.

Reviewed byJohnson Ajibi· MSc IT Security

20 questionsDomain: Security

Practice 10 questions Browse domain →

What the exam tests

What to know about Security

Security questions test whether you can apply the concept in context, not just recognise a definition.

How the topic appears in realistic exam-style scenarios.

Which detail in the question changes the correct answer.

How to eliminate plausible but wrong options.

How to connect the question back to the wider exam objective.

Watch out for

Common Security exam traps

▸Answering from memory before reading the full scenario.
▸Missing a constraint such as cost, availability, security, scope or command context.
▸Choosing a broad answer when the question asks for the most specific fix.
▸Ignoring why the wrong options are tempting.

Practice set

Security questions

20 questions · select your answer, then reveal the explanation

Question 1easymultiple choice

Security practice questions

What to know about Security

Common Security exam traps

Security questions

A Linux administrator needs to add a new user named 'jdoe' with a home directory and a bash shell. Which command accomplishes this?

A security audit reveals that users can change their password without meeting complexity requirements. Which PAM module should be configured to enforce password complexity?

An administrator wants to allow the user 'ops' to run only the command '/usr/bin/systemctl restart httpd' via sudo on a specific host 'webserver'. Which /etc/sudoers entry is correct?

An administrator needs to allow incoming TCP traffic on port 8443 using firewalld. Which command should be used to make this change persistent?

A system is running SELinux in enforcing mode. A custom application needs to write to /var/log/app.log. The log file shows the correct context, but access is denied. What is the most likely cause?

Which command displays the current SELinux mode?

An administrator wants to audit all attempts to access the file /etc/shadow. Which auditctl command should be used?

An AppArmor profile for a web server is in complain mode. After testing, the administrator wants to enforce the profile. Which command accomplishes this?

An administrator is hardening SSH and wants to disable root login and only allow users in the 'sshusers' group. Which two directives should be set in /etc/ssh/sshd_config?

Which command displays the last successful login times for all users?

A technician needs to generate a self-signed certificate for an internal web server. Which OpenSSL command creates a new private key and a certificate signing request (CSR) in one step?

An administrator notices that a process is running with the context 'unconfined_u:unconfined_r:unconfined_t:s0'. What does this indicate about SELinux?

A security policy requires that user passwords must be changed every 60 days, and users should be warned 7 days before expiration. Which two chage commands set these requirements for user 'jsmith'? (Choose TWO.)

An administrator is configuring iptables on a server. The requirements are: allow incoming SSH (port 22) from the 192.168.1.0/24 network, drop all other incoming traffic, and allow all outgoing traffic. Which three iptables rules achieve this? (Choose THREE.)

A Linux administrator is troubleshooting a firewall issue using nftables. The ruleset is complex. Which two commands are useful for listing the current ruleset and adding a new rule? (Choose TWO.)

A Linux administrator needs to ensure that user passwords expire after 90 days. Which command should be used to enforce this policy?

A security auditor notices that a service account's password never expires. The company policy requires password rotation every 60 days. Which command will enforce this policy for the service account?

An administrator wants to restrict SSH access to only users in the 'sshusers' group. Which configuration directive should be added to /etc/ssh/sshd_config?

A system administrator needs to configure PAM to lock a user account after 5 failed login attempts for 15 minutes. Which two PAM modules and configuration lines are appropriate? (Select TWO.)

A security policy requires that all users must have passwords with at least one uppercase letter, one digit, and a minimum length of 12 characters. Which PAM configuration file and module should be used to enforce this?

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Frequently asked questions

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Study resources

Exam traps to avoid