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Servers – Configure Issue Permissions

Support > Fixing Checks > Server

05 March, 2026

This check ensures that the permissions on the /etc/issue file are configured correctly. The /etc/issue file displays the login banner to users before they authenticate on local terminals.

Proper file ownership and permissions prevent unauthorized users from modifying the login banner and displaying misleading or malicious information to users attempting to access the system.

Check Details

  • Resource: Server
  • Check: Configure Issue Permissions
  • Risk: If the /etc/issue file has incorrect ownership or permissions, unauthorized users may modify the login banner and display misleading or malicious information to users attempting to access the system.

Remediation Steps

  1. Open a terminal session on the server with root or sudo privileges.
  2. Verify the current ownership and permissions of the /etc/issue file.

    stat /etc/issue
    
  3. Ensure that the file ownership is set to root:root.

    sudo chown root:root /etc/issue
    
  4. Set the correct file permissions so that the file is readable but not writable by other users.

    sudo chmod 644 /etc/issue
    
  5. Verify that the final configuration matches the following requirements:

    • Owner: root
    • Group: root
    • Permissions: 644 (-rw-r--r--)

Note: On Container-Optimized OS, the /etc directory is stateless. Therefore, these configuration steps may need to be performed again after each system reboot.