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


Overview

Finding ID Version Rule ID IA Controls Severity
V-22332 GEN001378 M6 SV-38087r1_rule ECLP-1 Medium
Description
The /etc/passwd file contains the list of local system accounts. It is vital to system security and must be protected from unauthorized modification.
STIG Date
MAC OSX 10.6 Workstation Security Technical Implementation Guide 2013-04-09

Details

Check Text ( C-37624r1_chk )
Open a terminal session and enter the following command to verify the owner of the etc/passwd file.

ls -lL /etc/passwd

If the /etc/passwd file is not owned by root, this is a finding.
Fix Text (F-32866r1_fix)
Open a terminal session and enter the following command to set the owner to root.

chown root /etc/passwd