Vulnerability Discussion

The "/etc/passwd-" file is a backup file of "/etc/passwd", and as such, contains information about the users that are configured on the system. Protection of this file is critical for system security.

Check

Verify the ownership of the "/etc/passwd-" file with the following command:

$ sudo stat -c "%U %n" /etc/passwd-

root /etc/passwd-

If "/etc/passwd-" file does not have an owner of "root", this is a finding.

Fix

Change the owner of the file /etc/passwd- to root by running the following command:

$ sudo chown root /etc/passwd-