010-160 Security And File Permissions Practice Question
You notice a file has permissions listed as '-rwsr-xr-x'. What does the 's' in the owner's position indicate?
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 file is a setuid binary.
The 's' in the owner's field indicates the setuid bit is set, meaning the file runs with the privileges of the file owner rather than the user running it.
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 file is a setgid binary.
Why it's wrong here
setgid would be in the group field.
- ✓
The file is a setuid binary.
Why this is correct
The setuid bit allows elevation to the file owner's privileges.
- ✗
The file is immutable.
Why it's wrong here
Immutable files are indicated by 'i' in the chattr attribute list.
- ✗
The file is a sticky directory.
Why it's wrong here
Sticky bits are indicated by 't'.
About these practice questions
This 010-160 question is part of Courseiva's 190-question bank — original exam-style content with full explanations and wrong-answer analysis, never real exam questions or exam dumps. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
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 LPI exam blueprint
This 010-160 practice question is part of Courseiva's free LPI 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 010-160 exam.