Which statement concerning Linux passwords is true?

Which statement concerning Linux passwords is true?

• A. Passwords are stored in plain text.
• B. Passwords are stored in hashed form only.
• C. Passwords can be retrieved by the system administrator.
• D. Passwords are encrypted using a proprietary algorithm.

Answer: (B)

Passwords in Linux systems are stored in hashed form, which is the correct statement in this scenario. Hashing is a one-way process that converts the password into a fixed-size string of characters, which appears random. This method ensures that the actual password is not stored on the system, making it more secure. When a user enters their password for authentication, the system hashes the entered password and compares it to the stored hash. If they match, access is granted, but the actual password remains unknown. Using hashed passwords offers several benefits, including protection from unauthorized access to the password data. Even if someone gains access to the password storage, they cannot easily reverse the hash to obtain the original password. This approach is much safer than storing passwords in plain text, which can be easily read and misused by anyone with access to the data. While it's true that system administrators have the capability to reset user passwords, retrieving a user’s plaintext password from the hash is not feasible due to the nature of hashing. This reinforces the security of the password management approach in Linux systems.

Passwords in Linux systems are stored in hashed form, which is the correct statement in this scenario. Hashing is a one-way process that converts the password into a fixed-size string of characters, which appears random. This method ensures that the actual password is not stored on the system, making it more secure. When a user enters their password for authentication, the system hashes the entered password and compares it to the stored hash. If they match, access is granted, but the actual password remains unknown.

Using hashed passwords offers several benefits, including protection from unauthorized access to the password data. Even if someone gains access to the password storage, they cannot easily reverse the hash to obtain the original password. This approach is much safer than storing passwords in plain text, which can be easily read and misused by anyone with access to the data.

While it's true that system administrators have the capability to reset user passwords, retrieving a user’s plaintext password from the hash is not feasible due to the nature of hashing. This reinforces the security of the password management approach in Linux systems.