mediumMultiple ChoiceObjective-mapped
ISC2 CC Practice Question: Refer to the exhibit
Exhibit
-rw-rw-rw- 1 user1 devteam 1024 Mar 10 10:00 project_data.txt
Refer to the exhibit. The file is readable and writable by everyone. A user from the marketing team, user2, needs to be able to read the file but not write to it. Which command should the administrator use to achieve this?
⚠ Common exam trap
ISC2 often tests the misconception that `chmod 664` is the standard 'read and write for owner and group, read-only for others' when in fact it grants write to the group, which would allow user2 to write if they are in the group, so candidates must carefully consider the user's group membership and the exact requirement of 'read but not write'.
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
✓
chmod 644 project_data.txt
`chmod 644` sets the file permissions to `rw-r--r--`, which grants read and write to the owner, read-only to the group, and read-only to others. Since the file is initially readable and writable by everyone (likely `666`), changing to `644` removes write access for the group and others while preserving read access for all, meeting the requirement that user2 (a marketing team member, presumably in the group or others category) can read but not write.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
chmod 664 project_data.txt
Why it's wrong here
664 gives owner read/write, group read/write, others read, so group (devteam) could write, but user2 (marketing) is not in group, so they get read only. However, it does not tighten group write.
- ✗
chmod 755 project_data.txt
Why it's wrong here
755 gives owner read/write/execute, group and others read/execute, so user2 still cannot write, but execute is unnecessarily granted.
- ✓
chmod 644 project_data.txt
Why this is correct
644 sets read/write for owner, read for group and others, so user2 can read but not write.
- ✗
chmod 600 project_data.txt
Why it's wrong here
600 gives owner read/write only, denying all access to user2.
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
Access Control Fundamentals
Key term
Group
A group is a collection of users, devices, or other objects that are assigned permissions and policies together for simplified management in identity and governance systems like Microsoft Entra ID.
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.
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JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This CC practice question is part of Courseiva's free ISC2 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 CC exam.