---
title: The /etc/docker directory should be owned by root account
description: Datadog, the leading service for cloud-scale monitoring.
breadcrumbs: >-
  Docs > Datadog Security > OOTB Rules > The /etc/docker directory should be
  owned by root account
---

> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.datadoghq.com/llms.txt).

# The /etc/docker directory should be owned by root account
Classification:complianceFramework:cis-dockerControl:3.5 
## Description{% #description %}

The `/etc/docker` directory should be owned by user root and group root.

## Rationale{% #rationale %}

`/etc/docker` holds `daemon.json` and the TLS certificates and keys of the Docker daemon. Its owner can change it, so the owner and group should be root only.

## Audit{% #audit %}

Show the owner and group of `/etc/docker`:

```bash
stat -c '%U:%G' /etc/docker
```

Datadog passes the rule when `/etc/docker` belongs to root:root, fails it when it belongs to another user or group, and reports it not applicable when the path is absent.

## Remediation{% #remediation %}

Set the owner and group:

```bash
chown root:root /etc/docker
```

## Impact{% #impact %}

None.

## Default value{% #default-value %}

Docker creates `/etc/docker` with owner root:root and mode 755.

## References{% #references %}

1. [https://docs.docker.com/engine/security/protect-access/](https://docs.docker.com/engine/security/protect-access/)