name: cis-ubuntu1204-v110-12-8 description: "Find Un-owned Files and Directories" category: cis-os-hardening version: "1.1.0" author: cyberstrike-official tags: [cis, ubuntu, 12.04, linux, file-ownership, unowned, integrity] cis_id: "12.8" cis_benchmark: "CIS Ubuntu 12.04 LTS Server Benchmark v1.1.0" tech_stack: [ubuntu, linux] cwe_ids: [] chains_with: [] prerequisites: [] severity_boost: {}
12.8 Find Un-owned Files and Directories (Scored)
Profile Applicability
- Level 1
Description
Sometimes when administrators delete users from the password file they neglect to remove all files owned by those users from the system.
Rationale
A new user who is assigned the deleted user's user ID or group ID may then end up "owning" these files, and thus have more access on the system than was intended.
Audit Procedure
Using Command Line
#!/bin/bash
df --local -P | awk {'if (NR!=1) print $6'} | xargs -I '{}' find '{}' -xdev -nouser ls
Expected Result
No files should be returned. If any un-owned files are found, they should be investigated and assigned to an appropriate user.
Remediation
Using Command Line
Locate files that are owned by users or groups not listed in the system configuration files, and reset the ownership of these files to some active user on the system as appropriate.
Default Value
No un-owned files should exist on a properly maintained system.
References
- CIS Ubuntu 12.04 LTS Server Benchmark v1.1.0
Profile
Level 1 - Scored