OL 9 /etc/passwd- file must have mode 0644 or less permissive to prevent unauthorized access.
Overview
| Finding ID | Version | Rule ID | IA Controls | Severity |
| V-271811 | OL09-00-002549 | SV-271811r1092145_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-271811r1092145_chk)
Verify that OL 9 configures the "/etc/passwd-" file to have a mode of "0644" or less permissive with the following command:
$ stat -c "%a %n" /etc/passwd-
644 /etc/passwd-
If a value of "0644" or less permissive is not returned, this is a finding.
Fix Text (F-75768r1092144_fix)
Change the mode of the file "/etc/passwd-" to "0644" by running the following command:
$ sudo chmod 0644 /etc/passwd-