Why ACL User Entry with No Permissions Overrides Group Access
This EX200 practice question tests your understanding of manage users and groups. The scenario asks you to isolate a root cause — eliminate options that address a different problem before choosing. After answering, compare your reasoning against the explanation and wrong-answer breakdown below. Once you have made your selection, read the full explanation to reinforce the concept and understand why each distractor is designed to mislead on exam day.
A user jdoe, who is a member of the group staff, reports they cannot access the directory /shared. The administrator runs getfacl /shared and receives the output shown. Which of the following explains the issue?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
An ACL entry denies all permissions for jdoe
The getfacl output shows a user ACL entry for jdoe with permissions '---' (no read, write, or execute), which explicitly denies all access. This user-specific ACL entry overrides any group or other permissions, so jdoe cannot access /shared regardless of group staff membership.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
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 group staff does not have execute permission
Why it's wrong here
The group::rwx entry gives full access.
✓
An ACL entry denies all permissions for jdoe
Why this is correct
The user:jdoe:--- entry denies everything.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
The mask entry restricts group permissions
Why it's wrong here
Mask is rwx, so no restriction.
✗
The directory is read-only for the owner
Why it's wrong here
Owner has rwx.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often focus on group permissions or the mask, overlooking that a user-specific ACL entry with no permissions explicitly denies access, overriding all other entries.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Under POSIX ACLs, the kernel evaluates permissions in order: owner, named user entries (including deny entries), owning group, named group entries, mask, and others. A user-specific ACL entry with no permissions (---) acts as an explicit deny, which is checked before group or other permissions. This is analogous to a 'deny' ACE in NFSv4 ACLs, but in POSIX ACLs, it is implemented as an entry with no bits set.
KKey Concepts to Remember
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Find the constraint that changes the correct option.
Eliminate answers that are true in general but not in this case.
TExam Day Tips
→Watch for words such as best, first, most likely and least administrative effort.
→Review why wrong options are wrong, not only why the correct option is correct.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
A security administrator must allow nursing staff to reach a patient records server while blocking access from the guest Wi-Fi VLAN. After applying an extended ACL, traffic is still blocked from nursing workstations. The ACL was applied outbound instead of inbound on the wrong interface. Questions like this test ACL direction and placement rules.
Visual reference
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Manage users and groups — This question tests Manage users and groups — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: An ACL entry denies all permissions for jdoe — The getfacl output shows a user ACL entry for jdoe with permissions '---' (no read, write, or execute), which explicitly denies all access. This user-specific ACL entry overrides any group or other permissions, so jdoe cannot access /shared regardless of group staff membership.
What should I do if I get this EX200 question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Question Discussion
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