OL 9 /etc/gshadow file must be owned by root.

Overview

Finding ID	Version	Rule ID	IA Controls	Severity
V-271802	OL09-00-002540	SV-271802r1092118_rule		Medium

Description

The "/etc/gshadow" file contains group password hashes. Protection of this file is critical for system security.

STIG	Date
Oracle Linux 9 Security Technical Implementation Guide	2025-05-08

Details

Check Text (C-75852r1092116_chk)

Verify that OL 9 configures ownership of the "/etc/gshadow" file with the following command:

$ stat -c "%U %n" /etc/gshadow
root /etc/gshadow

If "/etc/gshadow" file does not have an owner of "root", this is a finding.

Fix Text (F-75759r1092117_fix)

Change the owner of the file /etc/gshadow to root by running the following command:

$ sudo chown root /etc/gshadow