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

Overview

Finding ID	Version	Rule ID	IA Controls	Severity
V-257913	RHEL-09-232165	SV-257913r991589_rule		Medium

Description

The "/etc/shadow-" file is a backup file of "/etc/shadow", and as such, contains the list of local system accounts and password hashes. Protection of this file is critical for system security.

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

Details

Check Text (C-61654r925724_chk)

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

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

root /etc/shadow-

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

Fix Text (F-61578r925725_fix)

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

$ sudo chgrp root /etc/shadow-