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

From Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6 Security Technical Implementation Guide

Part of SRG-OS-999999

Associated with: CCI-000366

SV-50250r1_rule The /etc/passwd file must be owned by root.

Vulnerability discussion

The "/etc/passwd" file contains information about the users that are configured on the system. Protection of this file is critical for system security.

Check content

To check the ownership of "/etc/passwd", run the command: $ ls -l /etc/passwd If properly configured, the output should indicate the following owner: "root" If it does not, this is a finding.

Fix text

To properly set the owner of "/etc/passwd", run the command: # chown root /etc/passwd

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