DISA STIGS Viewer

AlmaLinux OS 9 /etc/shadow- file must have mode 0000 or less permissive to prevent unauthorized access.

Overview

Finding ID Version Rule ID IA Controls Severity
V-269228 ALMA-09-016850 SV-269228r1050110_rule   Medium
Description
The "/etc/shadow-" file is a backup file of "/etc/shadow", and as such, contains the list of local system accounts and password hashes. Protection of this file is critical for system security.
STIG Date
CloudLinux AlmaLinux OS 9 Security Technical Implementation Guide 2025-05-22

Details

Check Text (C-73259r1048060_chk)
Verify that the "/etc/shadow-" file has mode "0000" with the following command:

$ stat -c "%a %n" /etc/shadow-

0 /etc/shadow-

If a value of "0" is not returned, this is a finding.
Fix Text (F-73160r1048061_fix)
Change the mode of the file "/etc/shadow-" to "0000" by running the following command:

$ chmod 0000 /etc/shadow-