---
title: "HOST-FS-022 Account Database Files or Their Backups Not Owned and Locked by Root"
canonical: https://openvapt.com/checks/HOST-FS-022.html
html: https://openvapt.com/checks/HOST-FS-022.html
site: OpenVAPT, https://openvapt.com/
license: OpenVAPT Source-Available Licence 1.3, https://openvapt.com/legal/licence-text.html
modified: 2026-10-14
version: 0.1.0-alpha.6
---

# HOST-FS-022 Account Database Files or Their Backups Not Owned and Locked by Root

Checks the owner and permissions of /etc/passwd, /etc/group, /etc/shadow, /etc/gshadow and their dash-suffixed backup copies.

- Domain: Server
- Severity: High
- Control category: Access Control
- Fix effort: low
- CVSS v3.1 vector: `CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N`
- CIS Controls v8: 3.3
- NIST CSF 2.0: PR.AA-05, PR.DS-01
- CWE: CWE-732, CWE-522
- NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5: AC-3, AC-6, IA-5
- Benchmark topic: Account database file ownership and permissions (CIS Controls v8 3.3) (topic only, no benchmark text)

## Why It Matters

The tools that edit accounts leave a backup copy (passwd-, shadow-) next to the live file. A readable shadow- backup leaks the same password hashes as shadow itself, and a file not owned by root can be rewritten by whoever owns it. HOST-FS-001 checks the mode of the live files; this check adds ownership and the backups.

## How It Detects

Stats the eight files (metadata only). passwd, group and their backups must be owned by uid 0 and not writable by group or others; shadow, gshadow and their backups must be owned by uid 0 and have no permission bits for others. Files that do not exist are skipped; none existing is reported as incomplete.

## How to Fix

chown root:root /etc/passwd /etc/passwd- /etc/group /etc/group- && chmod 644 /etc/passwd /etc/group && chmod 600 /etc/passwd- /etc/group- ; chown root:shadow /etc/shadow /etc/shadow- /etc/gshadow /etc/gshadow- && chmod 640 /etc/shadow /etc/gshadow && chmod 600 /etc/shadow- /etc/gshadow-  (use root:root and mode 000 on RHEL family systems).

## How to Verify

```
stat -c '%a %U:%G %n' /etc/passwd* /etc/group* /etc/shadow* /etc/gshadow*
```

## Learn the Theory

- [P1 Linux Server Hardening](https://openvapt.com/academy/p1.md)
- [P17 Kernel, Filesystem and Boot Hardening](https://openvapt.com/academy/p17.md)

## References

- [shadow(5), Linux man-pages](https://man7.org/linux/man-pages/man5/shadow.5.html)
- [NIST SP 800-123, Guide to General Server Security](https://csrc.nist.gov/pubs/sp/800/123/final)

## Source Code

https://github.com/OpenVAPT/openvapt/blob/574f7f3333c44b75a3c649e2d93a76d507f75adf/internal/checks/host/files_mounts.go

Run it: `openvapt scan --only HOST-FS-022`. Read it offline: `openvapt explain HOST-FS-022`.

---

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