SECURITY.CONF(5) | File Formats Manual | SECURITY.CONF(5)

# NAME

`security.conf` —
daily security check configuration file

# DESCRIPTION

The `security.conf` file specifies which of the standard /etc/security services are performed. The /etc/security script is run, by default, every night from /etc/daily, on a NetBSD system, if configured do to so from /etc/daily.conf.

The variables described below can be set to "NO" to disable the test:

check_passwd
  This checks the /etc/master.passwd file for inconsistencies.
check_group
  This checks the /etc/group file for inconsistencies.
check_rootdotfiles
  This checks the root users startup files for sane settings of $PATH and umask. This test is not fail safe and any warning generated from this should be checked for correctness.
check_ftpusers
  This checks that the correct users are in the /etc/ftpusers file.
check_aliases
  This checks for security problems in the /etc/mail/aliases file. For backward compatibility, /etc/aliases will be checked as well if exists.
check_rhosts
  This checks for system and user rhosts files with "+" in them.
check_homes
  This checks that home directories are owned by the correct user, and have appropriate permissions.
check_varmail
  This checks that the correct user owns mail in /var/mail, and that the mail box has the right permissions.
check_nfs
  This checks that the /etc/exports file does not export filesystems to the world.
check_devices
  This checks for changes to devices and setuid files.
check_mtree
  This runs mtree(8) to ensure that the system is installed correctly. The following configuration files are checked:
  /etc/mtree/special
    Default files to check.
  /etc/mtree/special.local
    Local site additions and overrides.
  /etc/mtree/DIR.secure
    Specification for the directory DIR.
check_disklabels
  Backup text copies of the disklabels of available disk drives into /var/backups/work/disklabel.XXX, and display any differences in those and the previous copies as per check_changelist below. If fdisk(8) is available on the current platform, the output of /sbin/fdisk for each available disk drive is stored in /var/backups/work/fdisk.XXX, and any differences displayed as per the disklabels.
check_pkgs
  This stores a list of all installed pkgs into /var/backups/work/pkgs and checks it for any changes.
check_changelist
  This determines a list of files from the contents of /etc/changelist, and the output of `mtree -D` for /etc/mtree/special and /etc/mtree/special.local. For each file in the list it compares the files with their backups in /var/backups/file.current and /var/backups/file.backup, and displays any differences found. The following mtree(8) tags modify how files are determined from /etc/mtree/special and /etc/mtree/special.local:
  exclude
    The entry is ignored; no backups are made and the differences are not displayed. This includes dynamic or binary files such as /var/run/utmp.
  nodiff
    The entry is backed up but the differences are not displayed because the contents of the file are sensitive. This includes files such as /etc/master.passwd.
check_pkg_vulnerabilities
  Checks the currently installed packages against a database of known vulnerabilities and reports those that are vulnerable. Check the fetch_pkg_vulnerabilities setting in daily.conf(5) to keep the database up to date.
check_pkg_signatures
  Checks the digital signature of all files installed by packages against the expected values stored in the packages database.

The variables described below can be set to modify the tests:

check_homes_permit_usergroups
  During the check_homes phase, allow the checked files to be group-writable if the group name is the same as the username.
check_homes_permit_other_owner
  During the check_homes phase, allow the home directory and files of the listed users to be owned by a different user.
check_devices_ignore_fstypes
  Lists filesystem types to ignore during the check_devices phase. Prefixing the type with a ‘!’ inverts the match. For example, ‘`procfs !local`’ will ignore ‘`procfs`’ type filesystems and filesystems that are not ‘`local`’.
check_devices_ignore_paths
  Lists pathnames to ignore during the check_devices phase. Prefixing the path with a ‘!’ inverts the match. For example, ‘`/tftp`’ will ignore paths under /tftp while ‘`!/home`’ will ignore paths that are not under /home.
check_mtree_follow_symlinks
  During the check_mtree phase, instruct mtree to follow symbolic links. Please note, this may cause the check_mtree phase to report errors for entries for these symbolic links (i.e. of type=link in the mtree specification) as they will always appear to be plain files for the purposes of the check. /etc/mtree/special.local may be used to override the checks for the affected links.
check_passwd_nowarn_shells
  If check_passwd is enabled, most warnings will be suppressed for entries whose shells are listed in this space-separated list. This is of particular value when those shells are not in /etc/shells.
check_passwd_nowarn_users
  If check_passwd is enabled, suppress warnings for these users.
check_passwd_permit_dups
  If check_passwd is enabled, do not warn about duplicate uids for the listed login names.
check_passwd_permit_nonalpha
  If check_passwd is enabled, do not warn about login names which use non-alphanumeric characters.
check_passwd_permit_star
  If check_passwd is enabled, do not warn about password fields set to “*”. Note that the use of password fields such as “*ssh” is encouraged, instead.
max_grouplen
  If check_group is enabled, this determines the maximum permitted length of group names.
max_loginlen
  If check_passwd is enabled, this determines the maximum permitted length of login names.
backup_dir
  Change the backup directory from /var/backup.
diff_options
  Specify the options passed to diff(1) when it is invoked to show changes made to system files. Defaults to “-u”, for unified-format context-diffs.
pkgdb_dir
  DEPRECATED. Please set `PKGDB_DIR` in pkg_install.conf(5) instead.

  If defined, points to the location of the packages database. Defaults to /var/db/pkg.

backup_uses_rcs
  Use rcs(1) for maintaining backup copies of files noted in check_devices, check_disklabels, check_pkgs, and check_changelist instead of just keeping a current copy and a backup copy.

# FILES

/etc/defaults/security.conf
  defaults for /etc/security.conf
/etc/security
  daily security check script
/etc/security.conf
  daily security check configuration
/etc/security.local
  local site additions to /etc/security

# SEE ALSO

daily.conf(5)

# HISTORY

The `security.conf` file appeared in NetBSD 1.3. The check_disklabels functionality was added in NetBSD 1.4. The backup_uses_rcs and check_pkgs features were added in NetBSD 1.6. diff_options appeared in NetBSD 2.0; prior to that, traditional-format (context free) diffs were generated.

April 5, 2012 | NetBSD 9.3