Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9 • Release: 7 Benchmark Date: 05 Jan 2026

CAT II V-257934 RHEL-09-232270

RHEL 9 /etc/shadow file must have mode 0000 to prevent unauthorized access.

Documentable No
Rule ID SV-257934r991589_rule
CCI References
CCI-000366

Discussion

The "/etc/shadow" file contains the list of local system accounts and stores password hashes. Protection of this file is critical for system security. Failure to give ownership of this file to root provides the designated owner with access to sensitive information, which could weaken the system security posture.

Check Procedure

Verify that the "/etc/shadow" file has mode "0000" with the following command:

$ sudo stat -c "%a %n" /etc/shadow

0 /etc/shadow

If a value of "0" is not returned, this is a finding.

Fix Action

Change the mode of the file "/etc/shadow" to "0000" by running the following command:

$ sudo chmod 0000 /etc/shadow