LFCS User and Group Management Practice Question
A user 'alice' is unable to log in via SSH. The administrator checks /etc/shadow and sees 'alice:!:19234:0:99999:7:::'. What does the '!' in the password field indicate?
⚠ Common exam trap
Watch out — candidates often confuse 'account locked' (indicated by '!' in the password field) with 'password expired' (indicated by aging fields) or 'password must be changed at next login' (indicated by a last-change value of 0).
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
✓
The account is locked.
The '!' in the password field of /etc/shadow indicates that the account is locked. This is a standard convention in Linux shadow password files: an exclamation mark placed before the hashed password (or replacing it entirely) disables password-based authentication, effectively locking the account. SSH login fails because the system refuses to authenticate any password attempt against a locked entry.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
The password must be changed at next login.
Why it's wrong here
That is indicated by the last change field set to 0.
- ✗
The account is disabled.
Why it's wrong here
Disabled accounts often have '!!' or '*'.
- ✓
The account is locked.
Why this is correct
'!' is a common indicator of a locked account in /etc/shadow.
- ✗
The password is expired.
Why it's wrong here
Expired passwords are shown by a '!' at the start of the hash.
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JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This LFCS practice question is part of Courseiva's free Linux Foundation 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 LFCS exam.