RHEL 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-257896 | RHEL-09-232080 | SV-257896r991589_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 | |||
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9 Security Technical Implementation Guide | 2025-05-14 | |||
Details
Check Text (C-257896r991589_chk)
Verify that the "/etc/passwd-" file has mode "0644" or less permissive with the following command:
$ sudo 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-61561r925674_fix)
Change the mode of the file "/etc/passwd-" to "0644" by running the following command:
$ sudo chmod 0644 /etc/passwd-