Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9 • Release: 7 Benchmark Date: 05 Jan 2026
CAT II V-257920 RHEL-09-232200
RHEL 9 library files must be owned by root.
Discussion
If RHEL 9 allowed any user to make changes to software libraries, then those changes might be implemented without undergoing the appropriate testing and approvals that are part of a robust change management process. This requirement applies to RHEL 9 with software libraries that are accessible and configurable, as in the case of interpreted languages. Software libraries also include privileged programs that execute with escalated privileges.
Check Procedure
Verify the systemwide shared library files contained in the directories "/lib", "/lib64", "/usr/lib", and "/usr/lib64" are owned by root with the following command:
$ sudo find /lib /lib64 /usr/lib /usr/lib64 -type f -name '*.so*' ! -user root -exec stat -c "%n %U" {} +
If any output is returned, this is a finding. Fix Action
Configure the systemwide shared library files contained in the directories "/lib", "/lib64", "/usr/lib", and "/usr/lib64" to be owned by root with the following command:
$ sudo find /lib /lib64 /usr/lib /usr/lib64 -type f -name '*.so*' ! -user root -exec chown root {} +