Title

/etc/pam_user.conf file must not have an extended ACL. (Cat II impact)

Discussion

The /etc/pam_user.conf file is the per user 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. The /etc/pam_user.conf file must not be configured unless it is required.

Check Content

If the system is configured for Trusted Mode, this check is not applicable. For SMSE: Verify the file has no extended ACL. # ls -lL /etc/pam_user.conf If the permissions include a “+”, the file has an extended ACL, this is a finding.

Fix Text

If the system is operating in Trusted Mode, no fix is required. For SMSE: Remove the optional ACL from the file. # chacl -z /etc/pam_user.conf

Additional Identifiers

Rule ID: SV-52476r1_rule

Vulnerability ID: V-40487

Group Title: GEN000000-HPUX0440

Expert Comments

CCIs tied to check.

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