The /etc/shadow (or equivalent) file must be owned by root.

Overview

Finding ID	Version	Rule ID	IA Controls	Severity
V-797	GEN001400	SV-38468r2_rule	ECLP-1	Medium

Description

The /etc/shadow file contains the list of local system accounts. It is vital to system security and must be protected from unauthorized modification. Failure to give ownership of sensitive files or utilities to root or bin provides the designated owner and unauthorized users with the potential to access sensitive information or change the system configuration which could weaken the system's security posture.

STIG	Date
HP-UX SMSE Security Technical Implementation Guide	2014-02-28

Details

Check Text ( C-36330r3_chk )

Check the ownership of the /etc/shadow file. # ls -lL /etc/shadow If the /etc/shadow file exists and is not owned by root, this is a finding. NOTE: /etc/shadow should not exist if the system is in Trusted Mode. Check the ownership of the TCB auth files and directories. # ls -lLd /tcb /tcb/files /tcb/files/auth # ls -lL /tcb/files/auth/[a-z,A-Z]/* If the owner of any of the /tcb files and directories is not root, this is a finding. For SMSE: Check the /etc/shadow file. # ls -lL /etc/shadow If the /etc/shadow file exists and is not owned by root, this is a finding.

Fix Text (F-31585r2_fix)
For Trusted Mode: # chown root /tcb # chown root /tcb/files /tcb/files/auth # chown root /tcb/files/auth/[a-z]/* For SMSE: # chown root /etc/shadow