Multiple choice technology operating systems

What is the default configuration for regular files?

  1. --xr--r--

  2. rw-r--r--

  3. r--r--r--

  4. rwxr--r--
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

The default permissions for regular files in Unix are 644 (octal), which translates to rw-r--r--. This means the owner has read and write permissions, while group members and others have only read permission. This default is typically set by the umask value (commonly 022) that masks out write permissions for group and others.

AI explanation

On most Unix-like systems, the default permission mode applied to newly created regular files (before umask is subtracted) is rw-r--r-- (666 masked down), giving the owner read/write and everyone else read-only access — files aren't executable by default the way directories are. Options showing an x bit or missing owner-write don't match the standard default file creation mask.

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