6.2.11 Ensure no users have .netrc files

Information

The .netrc file contains data for logging into a remote host for file transfers via FTP.
Rationale:
The .netrc file presents a significant security risk since it stores passwords in unencrypted form. Even if FTP is disabled, user accounts may have brought over .netrc 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 user .netrc files and determine the action to be taken in accordance with site policy.
Notes:
On some distributions the /sbin/nologin should be replaced with /usr/sbin/nologin.

See Also

https://workbench.cisecurity.org/files/2485

Item Details

Category: CONFIGURATION MANAGEMENT

References: 800-53|CM-7b.

Plugin: Unix

Control ID: a54d6d67d5bd0677f8b1a0a8730638437010b14dc3b1cd1f321acd6433b3fc7a