$ Linux Command

Packages

rpmverify

Verify installed RPM packages against the database.

rpmverifypackageintegrity

Additional Notes

rpmverify (or rpm -V) checks installed files against the RPM database to detect changes. It compares file attributes such as permissions, ownership, size, modification time, and MD5 checksum against the values recorded at installation time.

This is useful for detecting accidental modifications, configuration drift, or malicious file tampering. Any file that has been altered since package installation will be reported with a letter code indicating what changed.

Syntax

rpmverify [options] package_name
rpmverify [options] -a

Parameters

  • package_name: The name of an installed package to verify.

Common Options

  • -a, --all: Verify all installed packages.
  • -f, --file file: Verify only the package that owns a specific file.
  • -g, --group group: Verify packages in a specific group.
  • -p, --package package.rpm: Verify against an RPM file instead of the database.
  • -n, --nofiledigest: Skip MD5 digest verification.
  • --noscripts: Skip scriptlet verification.
  • --nogroup: Skip group checks.
  • --nouser: Skip user checks.
  • --nomtime: Skip modification time checks.
  • --nomode: Skip mode/permission checks.
  • --nodeps: Do not verify dependencies.
  • -v, --verbose: Show verbose output.

Verification Output

Each changed attribute is indicated by a character:

  • S: File size differs.
  • M: Mode/permissions differ.
  • 5: MD5 digest differs.
  • D: Device major/minor number mismatch.
  • L: Symbolic link target changed.
  • U: User ownership changed.
  • G: Group ownership changed.
  • T: Modification time differs.
  • c: Configuration file (this is a suffix marker, not an error).

Missing files are reported as missing.

Examples

rpmverify openssh-server

Verify all files owned by the openssh-server package.

rpmverify -a

Verify every installed package on the system.

rpmverify -f /etc/ssh/sshd_config

Verify the package that owns the specified configuration file.

rpmverify -a | grep -v "c"

Show only non-configuration file changes (configuration files are expected to change).

Practical Notes

  • Configuration files (marked c) are expected to change after installation.
  • A clean system shows no output for rpmverify -a.
  • File changes due to updates are tracked across package versions.
  • Missing files indicate the file was deleted after installation.
  • Use rpm -Va to verify all packages in a single command.