Cis Ubuntu2004 V300 2 4 1 5

Ensure access to /etc/cron.weekly is configured

Profile

• Level 1 - Server
• Level 1 - Workstation

Description

The /etc/cron.weekly directory contains system cron jobs that need to run on a weekly basis. The files in this directory cannot be manipulated by the crontab command but are instead edited by system administrators using a text editor. The commands below restrict read/write and search access to user and group root, preventing regular users from accessing this directory.

Rationale

Granting write access to this directory for non-privileged users could provide them the means for gaining unauthorized elevated privileges. Granting read access to this directory could give an unprivileged user insight in how to gain elevated privileges or circumvent auditing controls.

Audit

• IF - cron is installed on the system:

Run the following command and verify Uid and Gid are both 0/root and Access does not grant permissions to group or other:

Command Line

# stat -Lc 'Access: (%a/%A) Uid: ( %u/ %U) Gid: ( %g/ %G)' /etc/cron.weekly/

Output:

Access: (700/drwx------) Uid: ( 0/ root) Gid: ( 0/ root)

Remediation

• IF - cron is installed on the system:

Run the following commands to set ownership and permissions on the /etc/cron.weekly directory:

Command Line

# chown root:root /etc/cron.weekly/
# chmod og-rwx /etc/cron.weekly/

Default Value

Access: (755/drwxr-xr-x) Uid: ( 0/ root) Gid: ( 0/ root)

References

1. NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5: AC-3. MP-2

CIS Controls

MITRE ATT&CK Mappings