CND Endpoint Protection Practice Question
A security engineer is configuring Linux Auditd on enterprise servers to log all attempts to modify user and group databases. Which audit rule should be added to /etc/audit/audit.rules?
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
✓
-w /etc/passwd -p wa -k identity
Monitoring sensitive files like /etc/passwd and /etc/shadow requires adding watch rules using the -w flag with write permissions (-p w).
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
-w /etc/passwd -p wa -k identity
Why this is correct
-w watches the file, -p wa audits write and attribute changes, and -k assigns an audit key for searching logs.
- ✗
-a always,exclude -F path=/etc/passwd
Why it's wrong here
Excluding paths prevents audit logging rather than enforcing monitoring.
- ✗
sysctl -w kernel.audit=1
Why it's wrong here
sysctl configures kernel runtime parameters, not auditd file watch rules.
- ✗
-e 0
Why it's wrong here
-e 0 disables the audit system entirely.
About these practice questions
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JA
Written and reviewed by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
Last reviewed August 2026 · checked against the official EC-Council exam blueprint
This CND practice question is part of Courseiva's free EC-Council 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 CND exam.