All AIX interactive users must be assigned a home directory in the passwd file and the directory must exist.

Overview

Finding ID	Version	Rule ID	IA Controls	Severity
V-215435	AIX7-00-003141	SV-215435r508663_rule		Medium

Description
All users must be assigned a home directory in the passwd file. Failure to have a home directory may result in the user being put in the root directory. This could create a Denial of Service because the user would not be able to perform useful tasks in this location.

STIG	Date
IBM AIX 7.x Security Technical Implementation Guide	2023-02-13

Details

Check Text ( C-16633r294756_chk )
Verify each interactive user is assigned a home directory: # cut -d: -f1,6 /etc/passwd root srvproxy doejohn If an interactive user is not assigned a home directory, this is a finding. Verify that the interactive user home directories exist on the system: # cut -d: -f6 /etc/passwd \| xargs -n1 ls -ld drwxr-xr-x 2 doejohn staff 256 Jan 25 13:18 /home/doejohn drwxr-xr-x 2 sshd system 256 Aug 11 2017 /home/srvproxy drwx------ 2 root system 256 Jan 30 12:54 /root If any interactive user home directory does not exist, this is a finding.

Check Text ( C-16633r294756_chk )

Verify each interactive user is assigned a home directory:

# cut -d: -f1,6 /etc/passwd
root
srvproxy
doejohn

If an interactive user is not assigned a home directory, this is a finding.

Verify that the interactive user home directories exist on the system:

# cut -d: -f6 /etc/passwd | xargs -n1 ls -ld

drwxr-xr-x 2 doejohn staff 256 Jan 25 13:18 /home/doejohn

drwxr-xr-x 2 sshd system 256 Aug 11 2017 /home/srvproxy

drwx------ 2 root system 256 Jan 30 12:54 /root

If any interactive user home directory does not exist, this is a finding.

Fix Text (F-16631r294757_fix)
Remove any unauthorized accounts with no home directory. If the account is valid, create the home directory using the appropriate system administration utility or process.