6.2.12 Ensure no users have .netrc files

Information

Thenetrc file contains data for logging into a remote host for file transfers via FTP.

Thenetrc file presents a significant security risk since it stores passwords in unencrypted form. Even if FTP is disabled, user accounts may have brought overnetrc files from other systems which could pose a risk to those systems.

Solution

Making global modifications to users' files without alerting the user community can result in unexpected outages and unhappy users. Therefore, it is recommended that a monitoring policy be established to report usernetrc files and determine the action to be taken in accordance with site policy.

See Also

https://workbench.cisecurity.org/benchmarks/12218

Item Details

Category: IDENTIFICATION AND AUTHENTICATION, SYSTEM AND COMMUNICATIONS PROTECTION

References: 800-53|IA-5(1), 800-53|SC-28, 800-53|SC-28(1), CSCv7|16.4

Plugin: Unix

Control ID: 41c7adeba08fb8c9b56a31cec8c741777a81dc7feb9f949c4d4dd1258b371056