Table of Contents

5.1.3 Ensure permissions on /etc/cron.hourly are configured (Scored)

Profile Applicability

Level 1 - Server
Level 1 - Workstation 

Description

This directory contains system cron jobs that need to run on an hourly basis. The files in this directory cannot be manipulated by the crontab command, but are instead edited by system administrators using a text editor. The commands below restrict read/write and search access to user and group root, preventing regular users from accessing this directory.

Rationale

Granting write access to this directory for non-privileged users could provide them the means for gaining unauthorized elevated privileges. Granting read access to this directory could give an unprivileged user insight in how to gain elevated privileges or circumvent auditing controls.

Audit

Run the following command and verify Uid and Gid are both 0/root and Access does not grant permissions to group or other:

# stat /etc/cron.hourly 
Access: (0600/-rw-------) Uid: ( 0/ root) Gid: ( 0/ root)

Remediation

Run the following commands to set ownership and permissions on /etc/cron.hourly:

# chown root:root /etc/cron.hourly 
# chmod og-rwx /etc/cron.hourly