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


Overview

Finding ID Version Rule ID IA Controls Severity
RHEL-06-000040 RHEL-06-000040 RHEL-06-000040_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
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6 Security Technical Implementation Guide 2013-02-05

Details

Check Text ( C-RHEL-06-000040_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-RHEL-06-000040_fix)
To properly set the group owner of "/etc/passwd", run the command:

# chgrp root /etc/passwd