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SESK: Stuff Everyone Should Know · sesk.info/aplus-linux-shadow

Which file holds the shadowed password information for Linux accounts?

/etc/shadow stores password information.

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  1. /etc/hosts
  2. /etc/fstab
  3. /etc/shadow ✔

Why: The shadow file contains password information and optional aging information for accounts. It must not be readable by regular users if password security is to be maintained.

Huh, didn't know that: Each line of the shadow file has 9 fields separated by colons.

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My password is 'incorrect', so when I forget it, the computer says 'Your password is incorrect.'
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References

Answer: /etc/shadow. The shadow file contains password information and optional aging information for accounts. It must not be readable by regular users if password security is to be maintained.

  1. shadow(5), Debian manpages manpages.debian.org/bookworm/passwd/shadow.5.en.html
    shadow is a file which contains the password information for the system's accounts
    Checked 2026-10-10.
  2. hosts(5), Debian manpages manpages.debian.org/bookworm/manpages/hosts.5.en.html
    hosts - static table lookup for hostnames
    Checked 2026-10-10.

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