RHEL 9 /etc/passwd- file must have mode 0644 or less permissive to prevent unauthorized access.

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.

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.

Change the mode of the file "/etc/passwd-" to "0644" by running the following command:

$ sudo chmod 0644 /etc/passwd-