The AIX /etc/hosts file must have a mode of 0640 or less permissive.
An XCCDF Rule
Description
<VulnDiscussion>Unauthorized permissions of the /etc/hosts file can lead to the ability for a malicious actor to redirect traffic to servers of their choice. It is also possible to use the /etc/hosts file to block detection by security software by blocking the traffic to all the download or update servers of well-known security vendors.</VulnDiscussion><FalsePositives></FalsePositives><FalseNegatives></FalseNegatives><Documentable>false</Documentable><Mitigations></Mitigations><SeverityOverrideGuidance></SeverityOverrideGuidance><PotentialImpacts></PotentialImpacts><ThirdPartyTools></ThirdPartyTools><MitigationControl></MitigationControl><Responsibility></Responsibility><IAControls></IAControls>
- ID
- SV-245559r818800_rule
- Severity
- Medium
- References
- Updated
Remediation - Manual Procedure
Change the mode of the file to 0640 using command:
# chmod 0640 /etc/hosts