1.7.1.4 Ensure permissions on /etc/motd are configured

Information

The contents of the /etc/motd file are displayed to users after login and function as a message of the day for authenticated users.

Rationale:

If the /etc/motd file does not have the correct ownership it could be modified by unauthorized users with incorrect or misleading information.

Solution

Run the following commands to set permissions on /etc/motd :

# chown root:root /etc/motd

# chmod u-x,go-wx /etc/motd

See Also

https://workbench.cisecurity.org/files/2970

Item Details

Category: CONFIGURATION MANAGEMENT

References: 800-53|CM-6, CSCv6|5.1, CSCv7|5.1

Plugin: Unix

Control ID: 42b34561c4f0eb576701f2df99eac1b787509dc87c65d0dae88db614c7d912e7