The /etc/hosts file must have mode 0644 or less permissive.

Overview

Finding ID	Version	Rule ID	IA Controls	Severity
V-22325	GEN001368 M6	SV-38085r1_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, such as time synchronization, centralized authentication, and remote system logging.

STIG	Date
MAC OSX 10.6 Workstation Security Technical Implementation Guide Draft	2013-01-10

Details

Check Text ( C-37621r1_chk )
Open a terminal session and enter the following command to verify the permissions of the etc/hosts file. ls -lL /etc/hosts If the /etc/hosts file permissions are not set to 644, this is a finding.

Fix Text (F-32863r1_fix)
Open a terminal session and use the following command to set the mode of the etc/hosts file. chmod 644 /etc/hosts