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LFCS Operation of Running Systems Practice Question

Order the steps to recover a forgotten root password on a Linux system using single-user mode.

Drag or tap steps into the slots.

Steps
Order
1Step 1
2Step 2
3Step 3
4Step 4
5Step 5

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

✓

1. Boot into single-user mode, 2. Remount filesystem as read-write, 3. Change root password, 4. Reboot.

To recover a forgotten root password on Linux using single-user mode, you must first boot into single-user mode (e.g., by adding 'single' to the kernel command line). At the root prompt, the filesystem is mounted read-only, so you must remount it as read-write with 'mount -o remount,rw /'. Then use 'passwd root' to set a new password. Finally, reboot the system. Attempting to change the password without remounting or rebooting prematurely will cause the recovery to fail.

Answer analysis

Option-by-option breakdown

For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.

  • ✓

    1. Boot into single-user mode, 2. Remount filesystem as read-write, 3. Change root password, 4. Reboot.

    Why this is correct

    This is correct because in single-user mode the filesystem is mounted read-only by default; you must remount it read-write before you can change the password, then reboot to apply changes.

  • ✗

    1. Boot into single-user mode, 2. Change root password, 3. Remount filesystem as read-write, 4. Reboot.

    Why it's wrong here

    This is incorrect because the filesystem is read-only initially; attempting to change the password before remounting read-write will fail due to permission errors.

  • ✗

    1. Boot into single-user mode, 2. Remount filesystem as read-write, 3. Reboot, 4. Change root password.

    Why it's wrong here

    This is incorrect because rebooting before changing the password leaves you with the forgotten password; you must change the password before rebooting.

  • ✗

    1. Change root password, 2. Boot into single-user mode, 3. Remount filesystem as read-write, 4. Reboot.

    Why it's wrong here

    This is incorrect because you cannot change the root password without first booting into single-user mode to gain root access.

About these practice questions

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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.