The /etc/resolv.conf file must be owned by root.

From MAC OSX 10.6 Workstation Security Technical Implementation Guide

Associated with IA controls: ECLP-1

Associated with: CCI-000225

SV-38077r1_rule The /etc/resolv.conf file must be owned by root.

Vulnerability discussion

The resolv.conf (or equivalent) file configures the system's DNS resolver. DNS is used to resolve host names to IP addresses. If DNS configuration is modified maliciously, host name resolution may fail or return incorrect information. DNS may be used by a variety of system security functions, such as time synchronization, centralized authentication, and remote system logging.

Check content

Open a terminal session and enter the following command to verify the owner of the resolv.conf file. ls -lL /etc/resolv.conf If the resolv.conf file is not owned by root, this is a finding.

Fix text

Open a terminal session and enter the following command to set the owner of the resolv.conf file. chown root /etc/resolv.conf

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