Title

RHEL 9 /etc/passwd file must have mode 0644 or less permissive to prevent unauthorized access. (Cat II impact)

Discussion

If the "/etc/passwd" file is writable by a group-owner or the world the risk of its compromise is increased. The file contains the list of accounts on the system and associated information, and protection of this file is critical for system security.

Check Content

Verify that the "/etc/passwd" file has mode "0644" or less permissive with the following command: $ sudo stat -c "%a %n" /etc/passwd 644 /etc/passwd If a value of "0644" or less permissive is not returned, this is a finding.

Fix Text

Change the mode of the file "/etc/passwd" to "0644" by running the following command: $ sudo chmod 0644 /etc/passwd

Additional Identifiers

Rule ID: SV-257895r925672_rule

Vulnerability ID: V-257895

Group Title: SRG-OS-000480-GPOS-00227

Expert Comments

CCIs tied to check.

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