All RHEL 9 local initialization files must have mode 0740 or less permissive.
Severity | Group ID | Group Title | Version | Rule ID | Date | STIG Version |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| medium | V-257889 | SRG-OS-000480-GPOS-00227 | RHEL-09-232045 | SV-257889r1184302_rule | 2026-02-05 | 2 |
Description
Local initialization files are used to configure the user's shell environment upon logon. Malicious modification of these files could compromise accounts upon logon.
ℹ️ Check
Verify all local initialization files have a mode of "0740" or less permissive with the following command:
Note: The example will be for the "disauser" user, who has a home directory of "/home/disauser".
$ sudo find /home /root -maxdepth 2 -type f -name ".*" -perm /037 -ls
755 /home/disauser/.somepermissivefile
If any local initialization files are returned, this indicates a mode more permissive than "0740", and this is a finding.
✔️ Fix
Set the mode of the local initialization files to "0740" with the following command:
Note: The example will be for the disauser user, who has a home directory of "/home/disauser".
$ sudo chmod 0740 /home/disauser/.<INIT_FILE>