Do Not Allow Executable Hidden Files

In Linux, files starting with a dot (.) are typically hidden files (excluding the current directory . and parent directory ..). Executable hidden files are not allowed in the system and must be deleted or have their execute permissions removed.

.bashrc, .bash_profile, and .bash_logout are startup/shutdown shell scripts generated upon user account creation. These files comply with industry conventions and should be retained.

Procedure

1. Run the find command to search for executable hidden files. The following example performs a global search under the root directory.

   find / -type f -name "\.*" -perm /+x 

   The following is an example. If the command returns no output, no executable hidden files exist. Otherwise, the corresponding files are listed.

   /etc/skel/.bashrc 
   /etc/skel/.bash_profile 
   /etc/skel/.bash_logout

2. If any executable hidden files are found, use one of the following three methods to fix the issue (using .testfile as an example):
   • Run the rm command to remove the hidden executable files:

     rm .testfile

   • Run the mv command to change the hidden files to regular files:

     mv .testfile testfile

   • Run the chmod command to remove its execute permission.

     chmod 644 .testfile