The /etc/passwd file contains a list of all the valid userIDs defined in the system, but not the passwords. The command below sets the owner and group of the file to root.
Rationale:
The /etc/passwd file needs to be protected from unauthorized changes by non-priliveged users, but needs to be readable as this information is used with many non-privileged programs.
[UID of ROOT, GID of ROOT]
If the user and group ownership of the /etc/passwd file are incorrect, run the following command to correct them:
# /bin/chown root:root /etc/passwd
oval:org.secpod.oval:def:46247
SCAP Repo OVAL Definition
2018-07-05