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

Overview

Finding ID	Version	Rule ID	IA Controls	Severity
V-208817	OL6-00-000040	SV-208817r793602_rule		Medium

Description
The "/etc/passwd" file contains information about the users that are configured on the system. Protection of this file is critical for system security.

STIG	Date
Oracle Linux 6 Security Technical Implementation Guide	2021-12-03

Details

Check Text ( C-9070r357431_chk )
To check the group ownership of "/etc/passwd", run the command: $ ls -l /etc/passwd If properly configured, the output should indicate the following group-owner. "root" If it does not, this is a finding.

Fix Text (F-9070r357432_fix)
To properly set the group owner of "/etc/passwd", run the command: # chgrp root /etc/passwd