cis-ubuntu1204-v110-13-19

name	cis-ubuntu1204-v110-13-19
description	Check for Presence of User .netrc Files
category	cis-os-hardening
version	1.1.0
author	cyberstrike-official
tags	["cis","ubuntu",12.04,"linux","user-management","netrc","ftp","credentials"]
cis_id	13.19
cis_benchmark	CIS Ubuntu 12.04 LTS Server Benchmark v1.1.0
tech_stack	["ubuntu","linux"]
cwe_ids	[]
chains_with	[]
prerequisites	[]
severity_boost	{}

13.19 Check for Presence of User .netrc Files (Scored)

Profile Applicability

• Level 1

Description

The .netrc file contains data for logging into a remote host for file transfers via FTP.

Rationale

The .netrc file presents a significant security risk since it stores passwords in unencrypted form. Even if FTP is disabled, user accounts may have brought over .netrc files from other systems which could pose a risk to those systems.

Audit Procedure

Using Command Line

#!/bin/bash
for dir in `/bin/cat /etc/passwd |\
/usr/bin/awk -F: '{ print $6 }'`; do
    if [ ! -h "$dir/.netrc" -a -f "$dir/.netrc" ]; then
echo ".netrc file $dir/.netrc exists"
    fi
done

Expected Result

No output should be returned. Any output indicates the presence of .netrc files in user home directories.

Remediation

Using Command Line

Making global modifications to users' files without alerting the user community can result in unexpected outages and unhappy users. Therefore, it is recommended that a monitoring policy be established to report user .netrc files and determine the action to be taken in accordance with site policy.

Default Value

No .netrc files exist by default on Ubuntu 12.04.

References

• CIS Ubuntu 12.04 LTS Server Benchmark v1.1.0

Profile

Level 1 - Scored