The /etc/hosts file must be owned by root.

From AIX 6.1 SECURITY TECHNICAL IMPLEMENTATION GUIDE

Associated with: CCI-000225

SV-26410r2_rule The /etc/hosts file must be owned by root.

Vulnerability discussion

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

Check content

Verify the /etc/hosts file is owned by root. Procedure: # ls -lL /etc/hosts If the file is not owned by root, this is a finding.

Fix text

Change the owner of the /etc/hosts file to root. # chown root /etc/hosts

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