---
title: User Initialization Files Must Be Owned By the Primary User
description: Datadog, the leading service for cloud-scale monitoring.
breadcrumbs: >-
  Docs > Datadog Security > OOTB Rules > User Initialization Files Must Be Owned
  By the Primary User
---

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

# User Initialization Files Must Be Owned By the Primary User
 
## Description{% #description %}

Set the owner of the user initialization files for interactive users to the primary owner with the following command:

```
$ sudo chown USER /home/USER/.*
```

This rule ensures every initialization file related to an interactive user is owned by an interactive user.

## Rationale{% #rationale %}

Local initialization files are used to configure the user's shell environment upon logon. Malicious modification of these files could compromise accounts upon logon.

## Remediation{% #remediation %}

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

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

```bash
#!/bin/bash

# Remediation is applicable only in certain platforms
if dpkg-query --show --showformat='${db:Status-Status}' 'linux-base' 2>/dev/null | grep -q '^installed$'; then

awk -F: '{if ($3 >= 1000 && $3 != 65534) print $3":"$6}' /etc/passwd | while IFS=: read -r uid home; do find -P "$home" -maxdepth 1 -type f -name "\.[^.]*" -exec chown -f --no-dereference -- $uid "{}" \;; done

else
    >&2 echo 'Remediation is not applicable, nothing was done'
fi
```

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

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

```go
- name: Gather the package facts
  package_facts:
    manager: auto
  tags:
  - accounts_user_dot_user_ownership
  - low_complexity
  - low_disruption
  - medium_severity
  - no_reboot_needed
  - restrict_strategy

- name: User Initialization Files Must Be Owned By the Primary User - Get interactive
    users from passwd file
  ansible.builtin.getent:
    database: passwd
  register: passwd_entries
  when: '"linux-base" in ansible_facts.packages'
  tags:
  - accounts_user_dot_user_ownership
  - low_complexity
  - low_disruption
  - medium_severity
  - no_reboot_needed
  - restrict_strategy

- name: User Initialization Files Must Be Owned By the Primary User - Create list
    of interactive users with UID and home directory
  ansible.builtin.set_fact:
    interactive_users: '{{ interactive_users | default([]) + [{''uid'': item.value[1],
      ''home'': item.value[4], ''username'': item.key}] }}'
  loop: '{{ passwd_entries.ansible_facts.getent_passwd | dict2items }}'
  when:
  - '"linux-base" in ansible_facts.packages'
  - item.value[1] | int >= 1000 | int
  - item.value[1] | int != 65534 | int
  - item.value[4] != ""
  tags:
  - accounts_user_dot_user_ownership
  - low_complexity
  - low_disruption
  - medium_severity
  - no_reboot_needed
  - restrict_strategy

- name: User Initialization Files Must Be Owned By the Primary User - Find dot files
    in interactive user home directories
  ansible.builtin.find:
    paths: '{{ item.home }}'
    patterns: .*
    file_type: file
    hidden: true
    depth: 1
    follow: false
  register: user_dotfiles
  loop: '{{ interactive_users | default([]) }}'
  failed_when: false
  when:
  - '"linux-base" in ansible_facts.packages'
  - item.home != ""
  tags:
  - accounts_user_dot_user_ownership
  - low_complexity
  - low_disruption
  - medium_severity
  - no_reboot_needed
  - restrict_strategy

- name: User Initialization Files Must Be Owned By the Primary User - Set correct
    ownership for user initialization files
  ansible.builtin.file:
    path: '{{ item.1.path }}'
    owner: '{{ item.0.item.username }}'
    follow: false
  loop: '{{ user_dotfiles.results | subelements(''files'', skip_missing=True) }}'
  when:
  - '"linux-base" in ansible_facts.packages'
  - item.0 is not skipped
  - item.0 is not failed
  - item.0.item is defined
  - item.0.item.username is defined
  - item.1.path is defined
  tags:
  - accounts_user_dot_user_ownership
  - low_complexity
  - low_disruption
  - medium_severity
  - no_reboot_needed
  - restrict_strategy
```

## Warning{% #warning %}

Due to OVAL limitation, this rule can report a false negative in a specific situation where two interactive users swap the ownership of their respective initialization files.