RHEL 9 /etc/passwd- file must have mode 0644 or less permissive to prevent unauthorized access.
Severity | Group ID | Group Title | Version | Rule ID | Date | STIG Version |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| medium | V-257896 | SRG-OS-000480-GPOS-00227 | RHEL-09-232080 | SV-257896r991589_rule | 2025-02-27 | 2 |
| Description |
|---|
| The "/etc/passwd-" file is a backup file of "/etc/passwd", and as such, contains information about the users that are configured on the system. Protection of this file is critical for system security. |
| ℹ️ Check |
|---|
| Verify that the "/etc/passwd-" file has mode "0644" or less permissive with the following command: $ sudo stat -c "%a %n" /etc/passwd- 644 /etc/passwd- If a value of "0644" or less permissive is not returned, this is a finding. |
| ✔️ Fix |
|---|
| Change the mode of the file "/etc/passwd-" to "0644" by running the following command: $ sudo chmod 0644 /etc/passwd- |