6.2.9 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.

See Also

https://workbench.cisecurity.org/files/3228

Item Details

Category: IDENTIFICATION AND AUTHENTICATION

References: 800-53|IA-5(7), CSCv6|9.1, CSCv7|16.4

Plugin: Unix

Control ID: a024d8d9525b056f881fa9c21420e99d580dab28fea2a25179cc7408b2b14450