The TOSS 5 /etc/passwd file must be owned by root.
Severity | Group ID | Group Title | Version | Rule ID | Date | STIG Version |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| medium | V-282659 | SRG-OS-000480-GPOS-00227 | TOSS-05-000163 | SV-282659r1200957_rule | 2026-04-01 | 1 |
Description
The "/etc/passwd" file contains information about the users that are configured on the system. Protecting this file is critical for system security.
ℹ️ Check
Verify the ownership of the "/etc/passwd" file using the following command:
$ sudo stat -c "%U %n" /etc/passwd
root /etc/passwd
If "/etc/passwd" file does not have an owner of "root", this is a finding.
✔️ Fix
Change the owner of the file /etc/passwd to root using the following command:
$ sudo chown root /etc/passwd