The cisecurity guide is wrong. While there is info that could be leveraged, but on a modern system the really sensitive information is split out into /etc/shadow (which very much should be only readable by root). The reality is that on a modern system /etc/passwd needs to be world readable (it is the local user db) for several applications that users can and do use (eg. ls being able to display who owns a file).
If /etc/passwd is world readable, there is no point in changing the permissions on the backup file. If you don't want /etc/passwd be available to all applications/users. You can use a MAC system to further restrict access to /etc/passwd and its backup file. -- You received this bug notification because you are a member of Ubuntu Touch seeded packages, which is subscribed to shadow in Ubuntu. https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/1923262 Title: backup /etc/passwd- file should be mode 0600 Status in shadow package in Ubuntu: Incomplete Bug description: CIS hardening benchmarks (6.1.6) suggest that the /etc/passwd- file should be mode 0600 (or more restrictive). However, this file is 0644 after it is created when the /etc/passwd file is modified. (Ie, a hardening script that creates a hardened system for initial use could change this mode, but it will go out of compliance the next time a backup file is made.) To manage notifications about this bug go to: https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/shadow/+bug/1923262/+subscriptions -- Mailing list: https://launchpad.net/~touch-packages Post to : touch-packages@lists.launchpad.net Unsubscribe : https://launchpad.net/~touch-packages More help : https://help.launchpad.net/ListHelp
