OL 9 /etc/shadow- file must have mode 0000 or less permissive to prevent unauthorized access.
Severity | Group ID | Group Title | Version | Rule ID | Date | STIG Version |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| medium | V-271816 | SRG-OS-000480-GPOS-00227 | OL09-00-002554 | SV-271816r1092160_rule | 2026-02-17 | 1 |
Description
The "/etc/shadow-" file is a backup file of "/etc/shadow", and as such, contains the list of local system accounts and password hashes. Protection of this file is critical for system security.
ℹ️ Check
Verify that OL 9 configures the "/etc/shadow-" file to have a mode of "0000" with the following command:
$ stat -c "%a %n" /etc/shadow-
0 /etc/shadow-
If a value of "0" is not returned, this is a finding.
✔️ Fix
Change the mode of the file "/etc/shadow-" to "0000" by running the following command:
$ sudo chmod 0000 /etc/shadow-