RHEL 9 /etc/group file must be group-owned by root.
Overview
| Finding ID | Version | Rule ID | IA Controls | Severity |
| V-257899 | RHEL-09-232095 | SV-257899r991589_rule | CCI-000366 | medium |
| Description | ||||
| The "/etc/group" file contains information regarding groups that are configured on the system. Protection of this file is important for system security. | ||||
| STIG | Date | |||
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9 Security Technical Implementation Guide | 2025-05-14 | |||
Details
Check Text (C-257899r991589_chk)
Verify the group ownership of the "/etc/group" file with the following command:
$ sudo stat -c "%G %n" /etc/group
root /etc/group
If "/etc/group" file does not have a group owner of "root", this is a finding.
Fix Text (F-61564r925683_fix)
Change the group of the file /etc/group to root by running the following command:
$ sudo chgrp root /etc/group