The /etc/passwd file must be group-owned by wheel.

Overview

Finding ID	Version	Rule ID	IA Controls	Severity
V-22333	GEN001379 M6	SV-38088r1_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-37625r1_chk )
Open a terminal session and enter the following command to verify the group ownership of the etc/passwd file. ls -lL /etc/passwd If the /etc/passwd file is not group owned by wheel, this is a finding.

Fix Text (F-32867r1_fix)
Open a terminal session and enter the following command to set the group to wheel. chgrp wheel /etc/passwd