---
title: Verify ownership of Message of the Day Banner
description: Datadog, the leading service for cloud-scale monitoring.
breadcrumbs: >-
  Docs > Datadog Security > OOTB Rules > Verify ownership of Message of the Day
  Banner
---

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

# Verify ownership of Message of the Day Banner
 
## Description{% #description %}

To properly set the owner of `/etc/motd`, run the command:

```
$ sudo chown root /etc/motd
```

## Rationale{% #rationale %}

Display of a standardized and approved use notification before granting access to the operating system ensures privacy and security notification verbiage used is consistent with applicable federal laws, Executive Orders, directives, policies, regulations, standards, and guidance. Proper ownership will ensure that only root user can modify the banner.

## Remediation{% #remediation %}

### Shell script{% #shell-script %}

The following script can be run on the host to remediate the issue.

```bash
#!/bin/bash

newown=""
if id "0" >/dev/null 2>&1; then
  newown="0"
fi

if [[ -z "$newown" ]]; then
  >&2 echo "0 is not a defined user on the system"
else
if ! stat -c "%u %U" "/etc/motd" | grep -E -w -q "0"; then
    chown --no-dereference "$newown" /etc/motd
fi

fi
```

### Ansible playbook{% #ansible-playbook %}

The following playbook can be run with Ansible to remediate the issue.

```gdscript3
- name: Set the file_owner_etc_motd_newown variable if represented by uid
  ansible.builtin.set_fact:
    file_owner_etc_motd_newown: '0'
  tags:
  - configure_strategy
  - file_owner_etc_motd
  - low_complexity
  - low_disruption
  - medium_severity
  - no_reboot_needed

- name: Test for existence /etc/motd
  ansible.builtin.stat:
    path: /etc/motd
  register: file_exists
  tags:
  - configure_strategy
  - file_owner_etc_motd
  - low_complexity
  - low_disruption
  - medium_severity
  - no_reboot_needed

- name: Ensure owner on /etc/motd
  ansible.builtin.file:
    path: /etc/motd
    follow: false
    owner: '{{ file_owner_etc_motd_newown }}'
  when: file_exists.stat is defined and file_exists.stat.exists
  tags:
  - configure_strategy
  - file_owner_etc_motd
  - low_complexity
  - low_disruption
  - medium_severity
  - no_reboot_needed
```