GEN001400 - The /etc/shadow (or equivalent) file must be owned by root.

Information

The /etc/shadow file contains the list of local system accounts. It is vital to system security and must be protected from unauthorized modification. Failure to give ownership of sensitive files or utilities to root or bin provides the designated owner and unauthorized users with the potential to access sensitive information or change the system configuration which could weaken the system's security posture.

Solution

Change the ownership of the /etc/shadow (or equivalent) file.
# chown root /etc/shadow

See Also

http://iasecontent.disa.mil/stigs/zip/U_RedHat_5_V1R18_STIG.zip

Item Details

Category: ACCESS CONTROL

References: 800-53|AC-6, CAT|II, CCE|CCE-3918-0, CCI|CCI-000225, Group-ID|V-797, Rule-ID|SV-37361r1_rule, STIG-ID|GEN001400, Vuln-ID|V-797

Plugin: Unix

Control ID: faa22da5d07f62de85d71a3cc2e06a19c29af3d18ac4afbb2f7d3f86a8910ca9