Title

RHEL 9 /etc/passwd- file must be group-owned by root. (Cat II impact)

Discussion

The "/etc/passwd-" file is a backup file of "/etc/passwd", and as such, contains information about the users that are configured on the system. Protection of this file is critical for system security.

Check Content

Verify the group ownership of the "/etc/passwd-" file with the following command: $ sudo stat -c "%G %n" /etc/passwd- root /etc/passwd- If "/etc/passwd-" file does not have a group owner of "root", this is a finding.

Fix Text

Change the group of the file /etc/passwd- to root by running the following command: $ sudo chgrp root /etc/passwd-

Additional Identifiers

Rule ID: SV-257909r925714_rule

Vulnerability ID: V-257909

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

Expert Comments

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