3.7.7 Miscellaneous Enhancements - default umask

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Information

This changes the default user umask in /etc/security/user.

The default user umask will be set to 027. This means that the default file creation permissions give read and write access to the user, read access to the group and no access to other. The default directory creation permissions give read, write and execute access to the user, read and execute to the group and no access to other. This is the recommended umask setting, as world access should be explicitly defined and not added during default creation. Where possible, access to files and directories should be managed via group membership and ACL's, rather than opening up directory structures for world access. In particular, world write access should be avoided.

Consideration should be given to further securing the default user umask by implementing 077. This means that only the user has read/write access to the files and directories they create. Group and/or world access would need to be explicitly defined.

As part of this change all explicitly defined umask user settings are removed (if using the customized XML file).

Solution

Add the umask attribute to the default user stanza in /etc/security/user-

chsec -f /etc/security/user -s default -a umask=027

See Also

https://workbench.cisecurity.org/files/528