Title

The owner, group owner, mode, ACL, and location of files with the setuid bit set must be documented using site-defined procedures. (Cat II impact)

Discussion

All files with the setuid bit set will allow anyone running these files to be temporarily assigned the UID of the file. While many system files depend on these attributes for proper operation, security problems can result if setuid is assigned to programs that allow reading and writing of files, or shell escapes. Only default vendor-supplied executables should have the setuid bit set.

Check Content

Files with the setuid bit set will allow anyone running these files to be temporarily assigned the user or group ID of the file. If an executable with setuid allows shell escapes, the user can operate on the system with the effective permission rights of the user or group owner. List all setuid files on the system. Procedure: # find / -perm -4000 -exec ls -l {} \; 2>/dev/null NOTE: Executing these commands may result in large listings of files; the output may be redirected to a file for easier analysis. Ask the SA or IAO if files with the setuid bit set have been documented. If any undocumented file has its setuid bit set, this is a finding.

Fix Text

Document the files with the setuid bit set or unset the setuid bit on the executable.

Additional Identifiers

Rule ID:

Vulnerability ID: V-801

Group Title:

Expert Comments

CCIs tied to check.

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