Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9 • Release: 7 Benchmark Date: 05 Jan 2026
CAT II V-257893 RHEL-09-232065
RHEL 9 /etc/gshadow file must have mode 0000 or less permissive to prevent unauthorized access.
Discussion
The "/etc/gshadow" file contains group password hashes. Protection of this file is critical for system security.
Check Procedure
Verify that the "/etc/gshadow" file has mode "0000" with the following command: $ sudo stat -c "%a %n" /etc/gshadow 0 /etc/gshadow If a value of "0" is not returned, this is a finding.
Fix Action
Change the mode of the file "/etc/gshadow" to "0000" by running the following command: $ sudo chmod 0000 /etc/gshadow