RHEL 10 must enforce mode "0000" or less permissive for "/etc/shadow-" file to prevent unauthorized access.

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.

Verify RHEL 10 is configured so that the "/etc/shadow-" file has mode "0000" with the following command:

$ sudo stat -c "%a %n" /etc/shadow- 0 /etc/shadow-

If a value of "0" is not returned, this is a finding.

Configure RHEL 10 so that the mode of the "/etc/shadow-" file is set to "0000" by running the following command:

$ sudo chmod 0000 /etc/shadow-