The Red Hat Enterprise Linux operating system must be configured so that the root account must be the only account having unrestricted access to the system.

From Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7 Security Technical Implementation Guide

Part of SRG-OS-000480-GPOS-00227

Associated with: CCI-000366

SV-86629r2_rule The Red Hat Enterprise Linux operating system must be configured so that the root account must be the only account having unrestricted access to the system.

Vulnerability discussion

If an account other than root also has a User Identifier (UID) of "0", it has root authority, giving that account unrestricted access to the entire operating system. Multiple accounts with a UID of "0" afford an opportunity for potential intruders to guess a password for a privileged account.

Check content

Check the system for duplicate UID "0" assignments with the following command: # awk -F: '$3 == 0 {print $1}' /etc/passwd If any accounts other than root have a UID of "0", this is a finding.

Fix text

Change the UID of any account on the system, other than root, that has a UID of "0". If the account is associated with system commands or applications, the UID should be changed to one greater than "0" but less than "1000". Otherwise, assign a UID of greater than "1000" that has not already been assigned.

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