Title

The /etc/pam.conf file must have mode 0444 or less permissive. (Cat II impact)

Discussion

The /etc/pam.conf file is the system configuration file for the Pluggable Authentication Module (PAM) architecture. It supports per user authentication, account, session, and password management. If the configuration is modified maliciously, users may gain unauthorized system access.

Check Content

If the system is configured for Trusted Mode, this check is not applicable. For SMSE: Verify the file mode. # ls -lL /etc/pam.conf If the file mode is more permissive than 0444, this is a finding.

Fix Text

If the system is operating in Trusted Mode, no fix is required. For SMSE: As root, change the file mode to 0444 or less permissive. # chmod 0444 /etc/pam.conf

Additional Identifiers

Rule ID: SV-52466r1_rule

Vulnerability ID: V-40478

Group Title: GEN000000-HPUX0380

Expert Comments

CCIs tied to check.

Controls tied to check. These are derived from the CCIs shown above.