LPIC-2 File Sharing and Samba Practice Question
In Samba 4, what is the default security mode when no 'security' parameter is set in the [global] section?
⚠ Common exam trap
Watch out — candidates often confuse the historical 'share' security mode (which was the default in very early Samba versions) with the modern default, or mistakenly think that Samba 4 defaults to 'domain' or 'ads' because of its Active Directory integration capabilities, but the actual default remains 'user' for backward compatibility and security.
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
✓
user
In Samba 4, when no 'security' parameter is explicitly set in the [global] section, the default security mode is 'user'. This means clients must authenticate with a valid username and password, and Samba validates credentials against the local passdb backend (e.g., tdbsam or LDAP). This default has been consistent since Samba 3.x and ensures that each connection is tied to a specific user identity.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
ads
Why it's wrong here
ADS must be explicitly set for Active Directory membership.
- ✗
share
Why it's wrong here
Share-level security is deprecated and not the default.
- ✗
domain
Why it's wrong here
Domain security is for NT4-style domain membership, not default.
- ✓
user
Why this is correct
Samba defaults to user-level security.
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JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This LPIC-2 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 LPIC-2 exam.