The TOSS 5 /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-282649 | SRG-OS-000480-GPOS-00227 | TOSS-05-000153 | SV-282649r1200927_rule | 2026-04-01 | 1 |
Description
The "/etc/passwd-" file is a backup file of "/etc/passwd" and contains information about the users configured on the system. Protecting this file is critical for system security.
ℹ️ Check
Verify the "/etc/passwd-" file has mode "0644" or less permissive using 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" using the following command:
$ sudo chmod 0644 /etc/passwd-