Title

The time synchronization configuration file (such as /etc/ntp.conf) must be owned by root. (Cat II impact)

Discussion

A synchronized system clock is critical for the enforcement of time-based policies and the correlation of logs and audit records with other systems. If an illicit time source is used for synchronization, the integrity of system logs and the security of the system could be compromised. If the configuration files controlling time synchronization are not owned by a system account, unauthorized modifications could result in the failure of time synchronization.

Check Content

Run ls -l /etc/inet/ntp.conf to display the owner of the NTP configuration file. If the owner is not root, this is a finding.

Fix Text

Change the owner of the NTP configuration file to root. # chown root /etc/inet/ntp.conf

Additional Identifiers

Rule ID: SV-226438r603265_rule

Vulnerability ID: V-226438

Group Title: SRG-OS-000480

Expert Comments

CCIs tied to check.

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