If you wanted to edit /etc/passwd, /etc/shadow, /etc/group, and /etc/gshadow safely, which sequence of commands would you run respectively?

• A. vipw, vipw -s, vigr, vigr -s
• B. vipw -s; vipw; vigr; vigr -s
• C. vipw; vipw -s; vigr; vigr -s
• D. vipw; vipw; vigr; vigr

Answer: (A)

Editing these critical authentication files must be done with the system’s safe, locked editing tools. vipw opens the password file in a protected environment, ensuring the file isn’t corrupted by partial writes. When you need to modify the shadow data, vipw -s edits the shadow file in the same safe way, targeting the correct file. For the group database, vigr provides a safe editing session for /etc/group, and vigr -s does the same for the gshadow file. Using the appropriate tool for each file, and the -s option to reach the corresponding shadow or gshadow file, keeps the edits atomic and properly formatted. This sequence—vipw for passwd, vipw -s for shadow, vigr for group, and vigr -s for gshadow—ensures you modify the right files safely.