World-writable files must not exist.
Severity | Group ID | Group Title | Version | Rule ID | Date | STIG Version |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| medium | V-216434 | SRG-OS-000480 | SOL-11.1-070180 | SV-216434r959010_rule | 2026-02-19 | 3 |
Description
Data in world-writable files can be read, modified, and potentially compromised by any user on the system. World-writable files may also indicate an incorrectly written script or program that could potentially be the cause of a larger compromise to the system's integrity.
ℹ️ Check
The root role is required.
Check for the existence of world-writable files.
# find / \( -fstype nfs -o -fstype cachefs -o -fstype autofs \
-o -fstype ctfs -o -fstype mntfs -o -fstype objfs \
-o -fstype proc \) -prune -o -type f -perm -0002 -print
If output is produced, this is a finding.
✔️ Fix
The root role is required.
Change the permissions of the files identified in the check step to remove the world-writable permission.
# pfexec chmod o-w [filename]