Rule version TOSS-05-000153 · STIG v1 · 2026-08-20
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.
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.
Change the mode of the file "/etc/passwd-" to "0644" using the following command:
$ sudo chmod 0644 /etc/passwd-