6.2.15 Ensure all groups in /etc/passwd exist in /etc/group (Scored)
Profile Applicability
Level 1 - Server Level 1 - Workstation
Description
Over time, system administration errors and changes can lead to groups being defined in /etc/passwd
but not in /etc/group
.
Rationale
Groups defined in the /etc/passwd
file but not in the /etc/group
file pose a threat to system security since group permissions are not properly managed.
Audit
Run the following script and verify no results are returned:
#!/bin/bash for i in $(cut -s -d: -f4 /etc/passwd | sort -u ); do grep -q -P "^.*?:[^:]*:$i:" /etc/group if [ $? -ne 0 ]; then echo "Group $i is referenced by /etc/passwd but does not exist in /etc/group" fi done
Remediation
Analyze the output of the Audit step above and perform the appropriate action to correct any discrepancies found.