The /etc/hosts file must be owned by root.

Overview

Finding ID	Version	Rule ID	IA Controls	Severity
V-22323	GEN001366 M6	SV-38082r1_rule	ECLP-1	Medium

Description
The /etc/hosts file (or equivalent) configures local host name to IP address mappings typically taking precedence over DNS resolution. If this file is maliciously modified, it could cause the failure or compromise of security functions requiring name resolution, which may include time synchronization, centralized authentication, and remote system logging.

STIG	Date
MAC OSX 10.6 Workstation Security Technical Implementation Guide	2013-04-09

Details

Check Text ( C-37619r1_chk )
Open a terminal session and enter the following command to verify the owner of the etc/hosts file. ls -lL /etc/hosts If the /etc/hosts file is not owned by root, this is a finding.

Fix Text (F-32861r1_fix)
Open a terminal session and enter the following command to set the owner to root. chown root /etc/hosts