In old (good ?) Sun Solaris days, we use to test /etc/passwd file integrity with pwck command. pwck scans the password file and notes any inconsistencies. The checks include validation of the number of fields, login name, user ID, group ID, and whether the login directory and the program-to-use-as-shell exist.
Check integrity of group file /etc/group with the command:
grpck
Check integrity of password file /etc/passwd and /etc/shadow with the command:
pwck
These are very handy utility in case of problem. Read man page of pwck and grpck
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