The /etc/shadow (or equivalent) file must be owned by root.

Overview

Finding ID	Version	Rule ID	IA Controls	Severity
V-797	GEN001400	SV-37361r1_rule	ECLP-1	Medium

Description
The /etc/shadow file contains the list of local system accounts. It is vital to system security and must be protected from unauthorized modification. Failure to give ownership of sensitive files or utilities to root or bin provides the designated owner and unauthorized users with the potential to access sensitive information or change the system configuration which could weaken the system's security posture.

Description

The /etc/shadow file contains the list of local system accounts. It is vital to system security and must be protected from unauthorized modification. Failure to give ownership of sensitive files or utilities to root or bin provides the designated owner and unauthorized users with the potential to access sensitive information or change the system configuration which could weaken the system's security posture.

STIG	Date
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5 Security Technical Implementation Guide	2013-01-17

Details

Check Text ( C-36050r1_chk )
Check the ownership of the /etc/shadow file. # ls -lL /etc/shadow If the /etc/shadow file is not owned by root, this is a finding.

Fix Text (F-31294r1_fix)
Change the ownership of the /etc/shadow (or equivalent) file. # chown root /etc/shadow