RHEL-10-400265 - RHEL 10 must enforce mode "0644" or less permissive for the "/etc/passwd" file to prevent unauthorized access.

Information

If the "/etc/passwd" file is writable by a group-owner or the world, the risk of its compromise is increased. The file contains the list of accounts on the system and associated information, and protection of this file is critical for system security.

Solution

Configure RHEL 10 so that the mode of the file "/etc/passwd" is set to "0644" by running the following command:

$ sudo chmod 0644 /etc/passwd

See Also

https://dl.dod.cyber.mil/wp-content/uploads/stigs/zip/U_RHEL_10_V1R1_STIG.zip