The Linux utilities cron/at is not restricted to authorized users only
Description
The Linux utilities cron and at are related commands. The cron utility allows you to schedule a repetitive task to take place at any regular interval desired, and the at command lets you specify a one-time action to take place at some desired time. It is recommended to configure /etc/cron.allow and /etc/at.allow to authorize only specific users to use these services and limit the access rights of these files only to default root account.
Severity
important
Category
Linux - Cron or At Utilities
Resolution
Follow the below steps to resolve the misconfiguration.
Run the following commands to set permissions and ownership for /etc/cron.allow and /etc/at.allow:
chmod og-rwx /etc/cron.allow
chmod og-rwx /etc/at.allow
chown root:root /etc/cron.allow
chown root:root /etc/at.allow
Potential issues that may arise after applying the resolution
Altering the existing security setting may create the following impact in your network operations.
Does remediation require reboot?
No
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