← Back to Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9 Security Technical Implementation Guide

V-257895

CAT II (Medium)

RHEL 9 /etc/passwd file must have mode 0644 or less permissive to prevent unauthorized access.

Rule ID

SV-257895r991589_rule

STIG

Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9 Security Technical Implementation Guide

Version

V2R8

CCIs

CCI-000366

Discussion

If the "/etc/passwd" file is writable by a group-owner or the world the risk of its compromise is increased. The file contains the list of accounts on the system and associated information, and protection of this file is critical for system security.

Check Content

Verify that the "/etc/passwd" file has mode "0644" or less permissive with 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 Text

Change the mode of the file "/etc/passwd" to "0644" by running the following command:

$ sudo chmod 0644 /etc/passwd