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Verify that system commands files are group owned by root or a system account

An XCCDF Rule

Description

System commands files are stored in the following directories by default: 

/bin
/sbin
/usr/bin
/usr/sbin
/usr/local/bin
/usr/local/sbin
All files in these directories should be owned by the root group, or a system account. If the directory, or any file in these directories, is found to be owned by a group other than root or a a system account correct its ownership with the following command: 
$ sudo chgrp root FILE

Rationale

If the operating system allows any user to make changes to software libraries, then those changes might be implemented without undergoing the appropriate testing and approvals that are part of a robust change management process. This requirement applies to operating systems with software libraries that are accessible and configurable, as in the case of interpreted languages. Software libraries also include privileged programs which execute with escalated privileges. Only qualified and authorized individuals must be allowed to obtain access to information system components for purposes of initiating changes, including upgrades and modifications.

ID
xccdf_org.ssgproject.content_rule_file_groupownership_system_commands_dirs
Severity
Medium
References
Updated



Remediation - Ansible

- name: Retrieve the system command files and set their group ownership to root
  command: find -L {{ item }}  ! -group root -type f -exec chgrp root '{}' \;
  with_items:
  - /bin
  - /sbin
  - /usr/bin

Remediation - Shell Script


for SYSCMDFILES in /bin /sbin /usr/bin /usr/sbin /usr/local/bin /usr/local/sbin
do
   find -L $SYSCMDFILES \! -group root -type f -exec chgrp root '{}' \;
done