SV-37164r1: The /etc/gshadow file must be group-owned by root. | Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5 Security Technical Implementation Guide

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Assessment Title

Rule Text

The /etc/gshadow file must be group-owned by root.

Description

Discussion Text

The /etc/gshadow file is critical to system security and must be protected from unauthorized modification. The /etc/gshadow file contains a list of system groups and hashes for group passwords.

How this relates to the STIG checklist: STIG vs SCAP benchmark.

IA Controls

NIST SP 800-53

Not mappedCCI-000225CCE-4064-2

Additional Details

Responsibility

System Administrator

IA Controls

ECLP-1

References

DPMS Target Red Hat 5 DISA DPMS Target Red Hat 5 2154

SCC Automation Reference

The reconstructed evaluation script behind this rule's OVAL check(s) — every module a compound check combines, with this rule's own concrete values and DISA's SCC tool's real per-module mechanism curated from static teardown of SCC releases.

#!/bin/bash
# Reconstructed from oval:mil.disa.fso.rhel11:def:2
# The /etc/gshadow file must be group-owned by root.
# Per-module read mechanism curated from static teardown of DISA's SCC tool
# (SCAP Compliance Checker) -- see the SCC Automation Reference above.

# file_object (file_test)
test_1() {
  [ "$(stat -c '%g' '/etc/gshadow')" -eq 0 ]
}

if test_1; then
  echo "PASS"
else
  echo "FAIL"
fi

Assessment Script Powered by AISandbox-executed

A standalone Shell script to assess this control automatically. Review before running it in your environment.

Syntax-checked and actually executed in an isolated sandbox (not the real system this checks) — confirmed to run without errors.

#!/bin/sh
# OVAL Definition: oval:mil.disa.fso.rhel11:def:2
if [ ! -e /etc/gshadow ]; then echo "PASS"; exit 0; fi
if [ ! -g /etc/gshadow ]; then echo "FAIL"; exit 1; fi
if [ -g /etc/gshadow ] && [ $(stat -c "%G" /etc/gshadow) != "root" ]; then echo "FAIL"; exit 1; fi
echo "PASS"; exit 0

Remediation

Change the group-owner of the /etc/gshadow file to root.
# chgrp root /etc/gshadow