OL 9 /etc/shadow- file must be owned by root.

Overview

Finding ID	Version	Rule ID	IA Controls	Severity
V-271815	OL09-00-002553	SV-271815r1092157_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
Oracle Linux 9 Security Technical Implementation Guide	2025-05-08

Details

Check Text (C-75865r1092155_chk)

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

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

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

Fix Text (F-75772r1092156_fix)

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

$ sudo chown root /etc/shadow-