RHEL 9 /etc/shadow file must have mode 0000 to prevent unauthorized access.

Overview

Finding ID	Version	Rule ID	IA Controls	Severity
V-257934	RHEL-09-232270	SV-257934r991589_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-61675r925787_chk)

Verify that the "/etc/shadow" file has mode "0000" with the following command:

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

0 /etc/shadow

If a value of "0" is not returned, this is a finding.

Fix Text (F-61599r925788_fix)

Change the mode of the file "/etc/shadow" to "0000" by running the following command:

$ sudo chmod 0000 /etc/shadow