RHEL 9 /etc/shadow file must be group-owned by root.
Severity | Group ID | Group Title | Version | Rule ID | Date | STIG Version |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| medium | V-257911 | SRG-OS-000480-GPOS-00227 | RHEL-09-232155 | SV-257911r991589_rule | 2026-02-05 | 2 |
Description
The "/etc/shadow" file stores password hashes. Protection of this file is critical for system security.
ℹ️ Check
Verify the group ownership of the "/etc/shadow" file with the following command:
$ sudo stat -c "%G %n" /etc/shadow
root /etc/shadow
If "/etc/shadow" file does not have a group owner of "root", this is a finding.
✔️ Fix
Change the group of the file /etc/shadow to root by running the following command:
$ sudo chgrp root /etc/shadow