UCF STIG Viewer Logo
Changes are coming to https://stigviewer.com. Take our survey to help us understand your usage and how we can better serve you in the future.
Take Survey

The root account must not have world-writable directories in its executable search path.


Overview

Finding ID Version Rule ID IA Controls Severity
V-777 GEN000960 SV-44912r1_rule Medium
Description
If the root search path contains a world-writable directory, malicious software could be placed in the path by intruders and/or malicious users and inadvertently run by root with all of root's privileges.
STIG Date
SUSE Linux Enterprise Server v11 for System z 2017-05-18

Details

Check Text ( C-42353r1_chk )
Check for world-writable permissions on all directories in the root user's executable search path.

Procedure:
# ls -ld `echo $PATH | sed "s/:/ /g"`

If any of the directories in the PATH variable are world-writable, this is a finding.
Fix Text (F-38344r1_fix)
For each world-writable path in root's executable search path, do one of the following:

1. Remove the world-writable permission on the directory.
Procedure:
# chmod o-w

2. Remove the world-writable directory from the executable search path.
Procedure:
Identify and edit the initialization file referencing the world-writable directory and remove it from the PATH variable.