---
title: Verify Group Ownership of System Login Banner for Remote Connections
description: Datadog, the leading service for cloud-scale monitoring.
breadcrumbs: >-
  Docs > Datadog Security > OOTB Rules > Verify Group Ownership of System Login
  Banner for Remote Connections
---

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

# Verify Group Ownership of System Login Banner for Remote Connections
 
## Description{% #description %}

To properly set the group owner of `/etc/issue.net`, run the command:

```
$ sudo chgrp root /etc/issue.net
```

## 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 group 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

newgroup=""
if getent group "0" >/dev/null 2>&1; then
  newgroup="0"
fi

if [[ -z "${newgroup}" ]]; then
  >&2 echo "0 is not a defined group on the system"
else
if ! stat -c "%g %G" "/etc/issue.net" | grep -E -w -q "0"; then
    chgrp --no-dereference "$newgroup" /etc/issue.net
fi

fi
```

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

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

```gdscript3
- name: Set the file_groupowner_etc_issue_net_newgroup variable if represented by
    gid
  ansible.builtin.set_fact:
    file_groupowner_etc_issue_net_newgroup: '0'
  tags:
  - PCI-DSSv4-1.2
  - PCI-DSSv4-1.2.8
  - configure_strategy
  - file_groupowner_etc_issue_net
  - low_complexity
  - low_disruption
  - medium_severity
  - no_reboot_needed

- name: Test for existence /etc/issue.net
  ansible.builtin.stat:
    path: /etc/issue.net
  register: file_exists
  tags:
  - PCI-DSSv4-1.2
  - PCI-DSSv4-1.2.8
  - configure_strategy
  - file_groupowner_etc_issue_net
  - low_complexity
  - low_disruption
  - medium_severity
  - no_reboot_needed

- name: Ensure group owner on /etc/issue.net
  ansible.builtin.file:
    path: /etc/issue.net
    follow: false
    group: '{{ file_groupowner_etc_issue_net_newgroup }}'
  when: file_exists.stat is defined and file_exists.stat.exists
  tags:
  - PCI-DSSv4-1.2
  - PCI-DSSv4-1.2.8
  - configure_strategy
  - file_groupowner_etc_issue_net
  - low_complexity
  - low_disruption
  - medium_severity
  - no_reboot_needed
```