Table of Contents

5.4.3 Ensure default group for the root account is GID 0 (Scored)

Profile Applicability

Level 1 - Server
Level 1 - Workstation 

Description

The usermod command can be used to specify which group the root user belongs to. This affects permissions of files that are created by the root user.

Rationale

Using GID 0 for the root account helps prevent root-owned files from accidentally becoming accessible to non-privileged users.

Audit

Run the following command and verify the result is 0:

# grep "^root:" /etc/passwd | cut -f4 -d: 
0 

Remediation

Run the following command to set the root user default group to GID 0:

# usermod -g 0 root