OL 9 /etc/passwd- file must be owned by root.
Overview
| Finding ID | Version | Rule ID | IA Controls | Severity |
| V-271809 | OL09-00-002547 | SV-271809r1092139_rule | CCI-000366 | medium |
| Description | ||||
| The "/etc/passwd-" file is a backup file of "/etc/passwd", and as such, contains information about the users that are configured on the system. Protection of this file is critical for system security. | ||||
| STIG | Date | |||
| Oracle Linux 9 Security Technical Implementation Guide | 2025-05-08 | |||
Details
Check Text (C-271809r1092139_chk)
Verify that OL 9 configures ownership of the "/etc/passwd-" file with the following command:
$ stat -c "%U %n" /etc/passwd-
root /etc/passwd-
If "/etc/passwd-" file does not have an owner of "root", this is a finding.
Fix Text (F-75766r1092138_fix)
Change the owner of the file /etc/passwd- to root by running the following command:
$ sudo chown root /etc/passwd-