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

From Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6 Security Technical Implementation Guide

Associated with: CCI-000366

SV-50303r1_rule The /etc/shadow file must be owned by root.

Vulnerability discussion

The "/etc/shadow" file contains the list of local system accounts and stores password hashes. Protection of this file is critical for system security. Failure to give ownership of this file to root provides the designated owner with access to sensitive information which could weaken the system security posture.

Check content

To check the ownership of "/etc/shadow", run the command: $ ls -l /etc/shadow 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/shadow", run the command: # chown root /etc/shadow

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