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Analytics

5.4.2.1 Ensure root is the only UID 0 account

Information

Any account with UID 0 has superuser privileges on the system.

This access must be limited to only the default root account and only from the system console. Administrative access must be through an unprivileged account using an approved mechanism as noted in the Recommendation "Ensure access to the su command is restricted".

Solution

Run the following command to change the root account UID to 0 :

# usermod -u 0 root

Modify any users other than root with UID 0 and assign them a new UID.

See Also

https://workbench.cisecurity.org/benchmarks/21369

Item Details

Category: ACCESS CONTROL, CONFIGURATION MANAGEMENT, IDENTIFICATION AND AUTHENTICATION, MEDIA PROTECTION

References: 800-53|AC-3, 800-53|AC-5, 800-53|AC-6, 800-53|CM-1, 800-53|CM-2, 800-53|CM-6, 800-53|CM-7, 800-53|IA-5, 800-53|MP-2, CSCv7|14.6

Plugin: Unix

Control ID: fff5e86b721c07ec9160a89aaacea11e5d066579432b07c11f201ac574de7a31