All AIX interactive users must be assigned a home directory in the passwd file and the directory must exist.
Severity | Group ID | Group Title | Version | Rule ID | Date | STIG Version |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| medium | V-215435 | SRG-OS-000480-GPOS-00230 | AIX7-00-003141 | SV-215435r991592_rule | 2026-02-06 | 3 |
Description
All users must be assigned a home directory in the passwd file. Failure to have a home directory may result in the user being put in the root directory. This could create a Denial of Service because the user would not be able to perform useful tasks in this location.
ℹ️ Check
Verify each interactive user is assigned a home directory:
# cut -d: -f1,6 /etc/passwd
root
srvproxy
doejohn
If an interactive user is not assigned a home directory, this is a finding.
Verify that the interactive user home directories exist on the system:
# cut -d: -f6 /etc/passwd | xargs -n1 ls -ld
drwxr-xr-x 2 doejohn staff 256 Jan 25 13:18 /home/doejohn
drwxr-xr-x 2 sshd system 256 Aug 11 2017 /home/srvproxy
drwx------ 2 root system 256 Jan 30 12:54 /root
If any interactive user home directory does not exist, this is a finding.
✔️ Fix
Remove any unauthorized accounts with no home directory.
If the account is valid, create the home directory using the appropriate system administration utility or process.