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Servers – Configure Password Permissions
Support > Fixing Checks > Server
05 March, 2026
This check ensures that the permissions on the /etc/passwd file are configured
correctly. The /etc/passwd file contains essential user account information used by many system utilities and services.
Proper ownership and permissions ensure that the file remains readable for system utilities while preventing unauthorized users from modifying user account information.
Check Details
- Resource: Server
- Check: Configure Passwd Permissions
-
Risk: If the
/etc/passwdfile has incorrect ownership or permissions, unauthorized users may modify user account information, potentially compromising system security.
Remediation Steps
- Open a terminal session on the server with root or sudo privileges.
-
Verify the current ownership and permissions of the
/etc/passwdfile.stat /etc/passwd
-
Ensure that the file ownership is set to root:root.
sudo chown root:root /etc/passwd
-
Set the correct file permissions so that the file is readable but not writable by other users.
sudo chmod 644 /etc/passwd
-
Verify that the final configuration matches the following requirements:
- Owner: root
- Group: root
- Permissions: 644 (
-rw-r--r--)