The /etc/hosts file must be group-owned by wheel.

From MAC OSX 10.6 Workstation Security Technical Implementation Guide

Associated with IA controls: ECLP-1

Associated with: CCI-000225

SV-38083r1_rule The /etc/hosts file must be group-owned by wheel.

Vulnerability discussion

The /etc/hosts file (or equivalent) configures local host name to IP address mappings typically taking precedence over DNS resolution. If this file is maliciously modified, it could cause the failure or compromise of security functions requiring name resolution, such as time synchronization, centralized authentication, and remote system logging.

Check content

Open a terminal session and enter the following command to verify the group ownership of the etc/hosts file. ls -lL /etc/hosts If the /etc/hosts file is not group owned by wheel, this is a finding.

Fix text

Open a terminal session and enter the following command to set the group to root. chgrp wheel /etc/hosts

Pro Tips

Lavender hyperlinks in small type off to the right (of CSS class id, if you view the page source) point to globally unique URIs for each document and item. Copy the link location and paste anywhere you need to talk unambiguously about these things.

You can obtain data about documents and items in other formats. Simply provide an HTTP header Accept: text/turtle or Accept: application/rdf+xml.