RHEL 9 /etc/shadow file must be owned by root.
An XCCDF Rule
Description
<VulnDiscussion>The "/etc/shadow" file contains the list of local system accounts and stores password hashes. Protection of this file is critical for system security. Failure to give ownership of this file to root provides the designated owner with access to sensitive information, which could weaken the system security posture.</VulnDiscussion><FalsePositives></FalsePositives><FalseNegatives></FalseNegatives><Documentable>false</Documentable><Mitigations></Mitigations><SeverityOverrideGuidance></SeverityOverrideGuidance><PotentialImpacts></PotentialImpacts><ThirdPartyTools></ThirdPartyTools><MitigationControl></MitigationControl><Responsibility></Responsibility><IAControls></IAControls>
- ID
- SV-257910r991589_rule
- Severity
- Medium
- References
- Updated
Remediation - Manual Procedure
Change the owner of the file /etc/shadow to root by running the following command:
$ sudo chown root /etc/shadow