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CIS Ubuntu 14.04 LTS - 1.7.1.4 Ensure permissions on /etc/motd are configured

Verify that /etc/motd has correct ownership and permissions to prevent unauthorized modification

cyberstrikeus Updated
Coding & Dev Tools

File contents

1.7.1.4 Ensure permissions on /etc/motd are configured (Not Scored)

Profile Applicability

  • Level 1 - Server
  • Level 1 - Workstation

Description

The contents of the /etc/motd file are displayed to users after login and function as a message of the day for authenticated users.

Rationale

If the /etc/motd file does not have the correct ownership it could be modified by unauthorized users with incorrect or misleading information.

Audit Procedure

Run the following command and verify Uid and Gid are both 0/root and Access is 644:

stat /etc/motd

Expected Result

Access: (0644/-rw-r--r--) Uid: ( 0/ root) Gid: ( 0/ root)

Remediation

Run the following commands to set permissions on /etc/motd:

chown root:root /etc/motd
chmod 644 /etc/motd

Default Value

Access: (0644/-rw-r--r--) Uid: ( 0/ root) Gid: ( 0/ root)

References

  • CIS Controls: 5.1 Minimize And Sparingly Use Administrative Privileges

Profile

  • Level 1 - Server
  • Level 1 - Workstation

cyberstrikeus/cyberstrike/tree/main/.cyberstrike/skill/CIS_benchmarks/Operating_Systems/Ubuntu/cis-ubuntu-linux-14-04-lts-benchmark-v2/cis-ubuntu1404-v210-1-7-1-4 commit a47f543131

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Frequently asked questions

npx skillmds@latest add cyberstrikeus/cis-ubuntu-14-04-lts-1-7-1-4-ensure-permissions-on-etc-motd-