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Servers – Remove Legacy '+' Entries from Group
Support > Fixing Checks > Server
06 March, 2026
This check ensures that there are no legacy '+' entries present in the
/etc/group file. In older systems, the '+' character was used to include
group information from Network Information Service (NIS) maps.
Modern systems typically do not use NIS-based group inclusion. If legacy entries remain in the
/etc/group file, they could introduce unexpected group mappings or unauthorized access paths.
Check Details
- Resource: Server
- Check: Check Legacy Group Plus
-
Risk: If legacy
'+'entries exist in the/etc/groupfile, attackers may exploit these entries to gain unauthorized or privileged access to system groups.
Remediation Steps
- Open a terminal session on the server with root or sudo privileges.
-
Check whether any legacy
'+'entries exist in the/etc/groupfile.grep '^\+:' /etc/group
-
If the command returns any output, open the
/etc/groupfile using a text editor.sudo nano /etc/group
-
Locate any lines that begin with the
'+'character and remove those entries. - Save the file and exit the editor after removing the legacy entries.
-
Run the audit command again to confirm that no legacy entries remain.
grep '^\+:' /etc/group
-
Ensure that the command returns no output, confirming that all legacy
'+'entries have been removed.