LPIC-2 System Security Practice Question
Which TWO files are commonly used to configure PAM authentication for the 'login' service on a Linux system? (Choose two.)
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap here is that candidates may remember /etc/pam.d/login as the primary PAM configuration file for the login service, but they may forget that /etc/security/access.conf is also commonly used to configure PAM authentication via the pam_access module. It is a valid PAM configuration file for access control. The distractor files like /etc/login.defs or /etc/default/login are not PAM configuration files.
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
✓
/etc/pam.d/login
`/etc/pam.d/login` is the PAM service-specific configuration file for the `login` service on Linux systems that use the modern `pam.d` directory structure. When PAM is invoked for the `login` service, it reads this file to determine which authentication modules to apply, such as `pam_unix.so` for password verification or `pam_securetty.so` for root login restrictions.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
/etc/default/login
Why it's wrong here
Not a PAM file.
- ✗
/etc/login.defs
Why it's wrong here
Defines login parameters but not PAM rules.
- ✗
/etc/pam.conf
Why it's wrong here
Legacy single file; not commonly used with /etc/pam.d/.
- ✓
/etc/pam.d/login
Why this is correct
PAM configuration for the login service.
- ✓
/etc/security/access.conf
Why this is correct
Used by pam_access.so for access control, part of PAM.
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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.