After several failed login attempts, the account for user alex is locked. The entry in /etc/shadow for alex begins with an exclamation mark before the hashed password. Which step enables alex to authenticate again?
usermod -L alex
chage -E -1 alex
passwd -u alex
sed -i 's/^!//' /etc/shadow
The passwd -u command removes the lock flag placed on the password field, reversing the effect of the exclamation mark in /etc/shadow. The usermod -L option actually locks an account, which is the opposite of the needed action. Running chage -E -1 adjusts the expiration date but leaves the lock flag intact, so login remains blocked. While editing /etc/shadow with sed could remove the mark, manual edits risk syntax errors and security gaps compared to the built-in passwd utility.
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