======6.2.12 Ensure no users have .netrc files (Scored)====== =====Profile Applicability===== Level 1 - Server Level 1 - Workstation =====Description===== The ''.netrc'' file contains data for logging into a remote host for file transfers via FTP. =====Rationale===== The ''.netrc'' file presents a significant security risk since it stores passwords in unencrypted form. Even if FTP is disabled, user accounts may have brought over ''.netrc'' files from other systems which could pose a risk to those systems. =====Audit===== Run the following script and verify no results are returned: #!/bin/bash for dir in `cat /etc/passwd |\ awk -F: '{ print $6 }'`; do if [ ! -h "$dir/.netrc" -a -f "$dir/.netrc" ]; then echo ".netrc file $dir/.netrc exists" fi done =====Remediation===== Making global modifications to users' files without alerting the user community can result in unexpected outages and unhappy users. Therefore, it is recommended that a monitoring policy be established to report user ''.netrc'' files and determine the action to be taken in accordance with site policy.