RHEL Linux - Red Hat System Administration Practice Exam

One way to have regular users become sudoers is to edit the settings in which file?

1. /etc/sudoers

2. /etc/wheel

3. /etc/group

4. /etc/passwd

The correct answer is: /etc/sudoers

The correct choice involves editing the /etc/sudoers file to grant regular users sudo privileges. This file specifically controls the permissions and access rights related to the sudo command, which allows permitted users to execute commands as the superuser or another user, as defined within this file. When configuring the /etc/sudoers file, system administrators can specify which users or groups are granted sudo access and define the commands they are allowed to run. It is crucial to edit this file using the `visudo` command, as it provides syntax checking and helps prevent configuration errors that could lock users out of sudo access. The other options listed do not serve the purpose of managing sudo permissions. The /etc/wheel file is not commonly used directly for sudo access; instead, it is often used in conjunction with the /etc/sudoers file to restrict access to specific groups, typically the 'wheel' group in some distributions. The /etc/group file simply manages user group memberships without directly controlling access to sudo. Similarly, the /etc/passwd file contains user account information and does not pertain to defining permissions for executing commands with elevated privileges. Thus, the /etc/sudoers file is the appropriate and essential file to edit for granting sudo permissions to