ECCouncil Exam Questions

Where is the password file kept in Linux?

You are trying to compromise a Linux machine and steal the password hashes for cracking with password brute forcing program. Where is the password file kept in Linux?

A.
/etc/passwd

B.
/bin/shadow

C.
/bin/password

D.
/etc/shadow

Explanation:
/etc/shadow file stores actual password in encrypted format for user’s account with additional properties related to user password i.e. it stores secure user account information. All fields are separated by a colon (:) symbol. It contains one entry per line for each user listed in /etc/passwd file.