The /etc/passwd file must be group-owned by root, bin, or sys.

Overview

Finding ID	Version	Rule ID	IA Controls	Severity
V-22333	GEN001379	SV-37337r1_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
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5 Security Technical Implementation Guide	2017-03-01

Details

Check Text ( C-36028r1_chk )
Check the group ownership of the passwd file. Procedure: # ls -lL /etc/passwd If the file is not group-owned by root, bin or sys, this is a finding.

Fix Text (F-31274r1_fix)
Change the group-owner of the /etc/passwd file to root, bin or sys. Procedure: # chgrp root /etc/passwd