Which character in the password field of /etc/passwd is used to indicate that the encrypted password is stored in /etc/shadow?

Which character in the password field of /etc/passwd is used to indicate that the encrypted password is stored in /etc/shadow?
A . *
B . –
C . s
D . x

View Answer

Answer: D

Explanation:

The password field of /etc/passwd is used to store the user’s encrypted password or a special character that indicates how the password is stored. In older Linux systems, the user’s encrypted password was stored in the /etc/passwd file. On most modern systems, this field is set to x, and the user password is stored in the /etc/shadow file12. The /etc/shadow file is more secure than the /etc/passwd file because it is readable only by the root user and not by regular users1. The other options are not valid characters for the password field of /etc/passwd.

Reference: Understanding the /etc/passwd File | Linuxize

Understanding the /etc/passwd File – GeeksforGeeks