RHEL 10 must be configured so that the "/etc/shadow-" file is owned by "root".
Overview
| Finding ID | Version | Rule ID | IA Controls | Severity |
| V-281031 | RHEL-10-400070 | SV-281031r1165448_rule | CCI-000213 | medium |
| Description | ||||
| The "/etc/shadow-" file is a backup file of "/etc/shadow", and as such contains the list of local system accounts and password hashes. Protection of this file is critical for system security. | ||||
| STIG | Date | |||
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10 Security Technical Implementation Guide | 2026-03-11 | |||
Details
Check Text (C-281031r1165448_chk)
Verify RHEL 10 is configured so that the "/etc/shadow-" file is owned by "root" with the following command:
$ sudo stat -c "%U %n" /etc/shadow-
root /etc/shadow-
If the "/etc/shadow-" file does not have an owner of "root", this is a finding.
Fix Text (F-85497r1165447_fix)
Configure RHEL 10 so that the owner of the "/etc/shadow-" file is set to "root" by running the following command:
$ sudo chown root /etc/shadow-