When following a symbolic link, whose permissions determine access?

• A. The symlink's permissions
• B. The directory's permissions
• C. The target file's permissions
• D. The owner's permissions

Answer: (C)

A symbolic link is just a pointer to another file, so the access decision is governed by the permissions of the file it points to, not by the link itself. The kernel ignores the link’s own permission bits when following it. To reach the target you also need proper traversal rights on all directories along the path, but once the path resolves, the target file’s read, write, and execute bits determine whether you can access it. In short, access is controlled by the target file’s permissions.