Users and Groups

What is the file that contains user info on Linux?

/etc/passwd

When you set a password in Linux, it's securely scrambled then stored in a special privileged file called...

/etc/shadow This file can only be read by root.

Event Viewer

A Windows computer management tool that is where the system stores its system logs.

Task Scheduler

A Windows computer management tool that lets you schedule programs and tasks to run at certain times, like automatically shutting off the computer at 11:00 pm every night.

UAC (User Account Control)

A feature in Windows that prevents unauthorized changes to a system. These changes have to be approved by the admin instead. If an account is an admin, they would enter their password to confirm changes to be made.

Windows domain

A network of computers, users, files, etc that are added to a central database.

sudoers file

A protected file that can only be read by root.

SSO (Single Sign-On)

A session/user authentication process that permits a user to enter one name and password in order to access multiple applications.

Computer Management Console

A tool you can use to perform many tasks, such as monitoring system events, configuring hard disks, and managing system performance. All the essential settings that administrators need to change are found here.

Administrator (admin)

A user that has complete control over a machine.

How do you remove a user using PowerShell?

By using net or Remove-LocalUser. net user andrea /del Remove-LocalUser andrea

Get-LocalGroupMember

Command in PowerShell that allows you to view which users are in a group.

Get-LocalGroup

Command in PowerShell that displays a list of the groups on the local machine.

Get-LocalUser

Command in PowerShell that displays a list of user accounts and their permissions.

How to decipher info when running cat /etc/group file:

Four fields on each line, separated by colons. The first field is the group name (ex: sudo). The second field is the group password (x here means that the password has been encrypted and stored in a separate file). The third field is the ID of the group, or group ID. The fourth field is a list of users in the group.

Example of using Get-LocalGroupMember to view what users are in the Administrator group:

Get-LocalGroupMember Administrators

How do you reset a password using the Windows GUI?

Go to the computer management tool. Under Local Users and Groups, find the user who's password needs to be reset. Right click on the user's name and click on Properties. Under the General tab, select the option that says "user must change password at next log on", then click on apply and then okay.

UID (user ID)

How the system identifies a user, not by the username. Root is identified by 0.

What is one reason why would you use the CLI to view user and group info instead of the GUI?

If you had to check all the user info on multiple machines, you can just use the CLI to quickly see the list of users on the computer using the command Get-LocalUser. If you used the GUI, you would have to go to each account individually.

Biometric data

Include one or more physical traits such as facial characteristics, iris scans, or fingerprints, that can be used to digitally identify a person.

Why would you need to use the option "Account is locked out" in the computer management tool?

Maybe a disgruntled employee is looking to do malicious things. We can make it so that they won't be able to log into their computer.

Services and applications menu

Menu in the Windows computer management that shows you the programs and services that are available on the system. You can choose to enable or disable services like DNS here.

Standard user

One who is given access to a machine, but has restricted access to do things like install software or change certain settings.

How do you add a user using the Windows GUI?

Open the computer management tool. Under Local Users and Groups, you'll right click and select New User. From here, it asks you to set a username, a full name, and a password. You will set a default password and then make the user change that password when they log in.

How do you delete a user using the Windows GUI?

Open the computer management tool. Under Local Users and Groups, you'll right click the user account and select Delete.

MDM (Mobile Device Management system)

Products that install and update mobile device software, backup and restore mobile devices, wipe software and data from devices in the event the device is lost or the employee leaves the company. Such products also report usage and provide other mobile device management data.

How do you change a password in Linux?

Run the passwd command. Ex: passwd cindy

How do you access the computer management tool in Windows?

Search computer management in the application search and open it up.

Why would you not want to always be logged on as the root ?

Since root has unrestricted access on the machine so if you make even one mistake, you could delete or modify something important.

sudo command

Stands for superuser do; Linux command that allows regular users to run certain commands as the root user.

su command

Substitute user; this Linux command will allow you to change to a different user. If you don't specify the user, it defaults to root. Type exit to get out of root.

What do you use to view user and group info in Windows?

The Computer Management tool

Root user

The first user that gets automatically created when you install a Linux OS. This user has all the privileges on the OS. Also referred to as the superuser.

In iOS and Android, what can be used to synchronize settings and data to the Cloud?

The primary account. When you replace the device or set up a new mobile device with a primary account that you've used before, you'll have the option to restore data and apps if any had been backed up to the Cloud.

Based on what, could an admin give different access and settings that a user is in?

The type of group a user is in.

User profile

The user account in a mobile device. It contains all of your accounts, preferences, and apps.

Shared Folders - Computer Management Console

This Windows tool shows the folders that different users on the machine share with each other.

Primary account

This account is used to create a user profile for you on the device

Why would you need to use the option "User must change password at next logon" in the computer management tool?

This will force a user to change their password which is useful if someone's password is compromised.

How do you force a standard user in Linux to change their password on their next login?

Use the -e (expire flag) with passwd. Ex: sudo passwd -e victor

How do you force the user to change the default password on their next log on in PowerShell?

Use the /logonpasswordchg:yes parameter. Ex: net user victor /logonpasswordchg:yes

How do you change a local password in PowerShell?

Use the net command. Ex: net user cindy 'some_password' It is best to use an asterisk instead of writing your password out on the command line. If you use an asterisk, net will pause and ask you to enter your password. Ex: net user cindy *

How do you run commands as the root user without logging on as the root?

Use the sudo command

Groups

Users are put together in these according to levels of access and permissions to carry out certain tasks. These tasks depend on what the computer's admin considers appropriate.

Why are there group IDs?

When the OS runs a task that involves a group, it uses a group ID instead of group name.

Local Users and Groups

Windows computer management tool enabling creation and changing of group memberships and accounts for users.

Performance

Windows computer management tool that shows monitoring for the resources of your machine like CPU and RAM.

Device Manager

Windows computer management tool used to manage devices to your computer like network cards, sound cards, monitors, and more.

Users under the Local Users and Groups tool in computer management

You can access properties of the user accounts here. Under the General tab, you can add a full name and description. You can also select or unselect these options: User must change password at next logon , User cannot change password, Password never expires, Account is disabled, Account is locked out. Under the Member of tab, you can see which group a user is part of. On the last tab, Profile, you can change settings about your user profile, like where you want your home folder to be.

What can you do instead of being logged into a local administrator account all of the time?

You can be logged into your own account and use administrative powers when you need to.

What can you do as an admin of a Windows domain?

You can view those accounts and computers from any machine in the domain.

What do you do if a user forgets their password?

You have the option to set a password for them manually, by right clicking their user name in the computer management tool and selecting set password. This has issues though, like losing access to certain credentials.

What should you remember if you're managing other people's accounts on a machine?

You shouldn't know what their password is. Instead, you want the user to enter the password themselves.

How do you view who has access to sudo?

cat /etc/group file This is also how you view memberships for all groups.

How do you view the contents of a root restricted file in Linux?

cat /etc/sudoers This will give you a permission denied error message unless you are logged in as the root user. sudo cat /etc/sudoers

Users that are categorized together by levels of access and permissions are added to what?

groups

How do you add a user using PowerShell?

net user andrea * /add You will set a default account but make sure to flag the account to set a new password when they log in. net user andrea /logonpasswordchg:yes Or you can combine these two commands into one step: net user andrea pa5sw0rd /add /logonpasswordchg:yes You can also use the native PowerShell command, New-LocalUser.

Example of how to use the su command:

sudo su -

How do you add a user in Linux?

sudo useradd juan This will set up basic configurations for the user and set up a home directory. You can combine this with the passwd command to make the user change their password on login.

How do you remove a user in Linux?

sudo userdel juan