6.2.10 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/8498

Item Details

Category: CONFIGURATION MANAGEMENT, MAINTENANCE

References: 800-53|CM-7, 800-53|MA-4, CSCv7|16.4

Plugin: Unix

Control ID: 731a7103fe0020d8f880ae441102bae2e0e58fc6b03f3d8c37e0cb8f6c32ebd0