The AIX /etc/hosts file must be owned by root.
Overview
| Finding ID | Version | Rule ID | IA Controls | Severity |
| V-245557 | AIX7-00-002140 | SV-245557r991589_rule | Medium |
| Description |
| Unauthorized ownership of the /etc/hosts file can lead to the ability for a malicious actor to redirect traffic to servers of their choice. It is also possible to use the /etc/hosts file to block detection by security software by blocking the traffic to all the download or update servers of well-known security vendors. |
| STIG | Date |
| IBM AIX 7.x Security Technical Implementation Guide | 2024-08-16 |
Details
| Check Text (C-48836r818792_chk) |
| Check the ownership of /etc/hosts using command: # ls -al /etc/hosts The above command should yield the following output: -rw-r----- 1 root system 993 Mar 11 07:04 /etc/hosts If the file is not owned by root, this is a finding. |
| Fix Text (F-48791r818793_fix) |
| Change the ownership of the file to root using command: # chown root /etc/hosts |