RHEL 9 /etc/passwd- file must be group-owned by root.
Severity | Group ID | Group Title | Version | Rule ID | Date | STIG Version |
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medium | V-257909 | SRG-OS-000480-GPOS-00227 | RHEL-09-232145 | SV-257909r991589_rule | 2025-02-27 | 2 |
Description |
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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 |
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Verify the group ownership of the "/etc/passwd-" file with the following command: $ sudo stat -c "%G %n" /etc/passwd- root /etc/passwd- If "/etc/passwd-" file does not have a group owner of "root", this is a finding. |
✔️ Fix |
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Change the group of the file /etc/passwd- to root by running the following command: $ sudo chgrp root /etc/passwd- |