RHEL 9 /etc/shadow file must be owned by root.

Overview

Finding ID	Version	Rule ID	IA Controls	Severity
V-257910	RHEL-09-232150	SV-257910r991589_rule		Medium

Description

The "/etc/shadow" file contains the list of local system accounts and stores password hashes. Protection of this file is critical for system security. Failure to give ownership of this file to root provides the designated owner with access to sensitive information, which could weaken the system security posture.

STIG	Date
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9 Security Technical Implementation Guide	2024-12-04

Details

Check Text (C-61651r925715_chk)

Verify the ownership of the "/etc/shadow" file with the following command:

$ sudo stat -c "%U %n" /etc/shadow

root /etc/shadow

If "/etc/shadow" file does not have an owner of "root", this is a finding.

Fix Text (F-61575r925716_fix)

Change the owner of the file /etc/shadow to root by running the following command:

$ sudo chown root /etc/shadow