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General Purpose Operating System Security Requirements Guide

Rules, Groups, and Values defined within the XCCDF Benchmark

  • The operating system must authenticate peripherals before establishing a connection.

    Without authenticating devices, unidentified or unknown devices may be introduced, thereby facilitating malicious activity. Peripherals include, but are not limited to, such devices as flash drive...
    Rule Medium Severity
  • SRG-OS-000379

    Group
  • SRG-OS-000383

    Group
  • The operating system must prohibit the use of cached authenticators after one day.

    If cached authentication information is out-of-date, the validity of the authentication information may be questionable.
    Rule Medium Severity
  • SRG-OS-000384

    Group
  • The operating system, for PKI-based authentication, must implement a local cache of revocation data to support path discovery and validation in case of the inability to access revocation information via the network.

    Without configuring a local cache of revocation data, there is the potential to allow access to users who are no longer authorized (users with revoked certificates).
    Rule Medium Severity
  • SRG-OS-000392

    Group
  • The operating system must audit all activities performed during nonlocal maintenance and diagnostic sessions.

    If events associated with nonlocal administrative access or diagnostic sessions are not logged, a major tool for assessing and investigating attacks would not be available. This requirement addres...
    Rule Medium Severity
  • SRG-OS-000393

    Group
  • SRG-OS-000394

    Group
  • The operating system must implement cryptographic mechanisms to protect the confidentiality of nonlocal maintenance and diagnostic communications, when used for nonlocal maintenance sessions.

    Privileged access contains control and configuration information and is particularly sensitive, so additional protections are necessary. This is maintained by using cryptographic mechanisms such as...
    Rule High Severity
  • SRG-OS-000395

    Group
  • SRG-OS-000396

    Group
  • The operating system must implement NSA-approved cryptography to protect classified information in accordance with applicable federal laws, Executive Orders, directives, policies, regulations, and standards.

    Use of weak or untested encryption algorithms undermines the purposes of utilizing encryption to protect data. The operating system must implement cryptographic modules adhering to the higher stand...
    Rule High Severity
  • SRG-OS-000403

    Group
  • SRG-OS-000404

    Group
  • SRG-OS-000405

    Group
  • SRG-OS-000420

    Group
  • SRG-OS-000423

    Group
  • SRG-OS-000424

    Group
  • SRG-OS-000425

    Group
  • The operating system must maintain the confidentiality and integrity of information during preparation for transmission.

    Information can be either unintentionally or maliciously disclosed or modified during preparation for transmission, for example, during aggregation, at protocol transformation points, and during pa...
    Rule Medium Severity
  • SRG-OS-000426

    Group
  • SRG-OS-000432

    Group
  • The operating system must behave in a predictable and documented manner that reflects organizational and system objectives when invalid inputs are received.

    A common vulnerability of operating system is unpredictable behavior when invalid inputs are received. This requirement guards against adverse or unintended system behavior caused by invalid inputs...
    Rule Medium Severity
  • SRG-OS-000433

    Group
  • SRG-OS-000433

    Group
  • The operating system must implement address space layout randomization to protect its memory from unauthorized code execution.

    Some adversaries launch attacks with the intent of executing code in non-executable regions of memory or in memory locations that are prohibited. Security safeguards employed to protect memory incl...
    Rule Medium Severity
  • SRG-OS-000437

    Group
  • SRG-OS-000445

    Group
  • SRG-OS-000446

    Group
  • The operating system must perform verification of the correct operation of security functions: upon system start-up and/or restart; upon command by a user with privileged access; and/or every 30 days.

    Without verification of the security functions, security functions may not operate correctly and the failure may go unnoticed. Security function is defined as the hardware, software, and/or firmwar...
    Rule Medium Severity
  • SRG-OS-000447

    Group
  • The operating system must shut down the information system, restart the information system, and/or notify the system administrator when anomalies in the operation of any security functions are discovered.

    If anomalies are not acted upon, security functions may fail to secure the system. Security function is defined as the hardware, software, and/or firmware of the information system responsible fo...
    Rule Medium Severity
  • SRG-OS-000458

    Group
  • The operating system must generate audit records when successful/unsuccessful attempts to access security objects occur.

    Without generating audit records that are specific to the security and mission needs of the organization, it would be difficult to establish, correlate, and investigate the events relating to an in...
    Rule Medium Severity
  • SRG-OS-000461

    Group
  • SRG-OS-000462

    Group
  • The operating system must generate audit records when successful/unsuccessful attempts to modify privileges occur.

    Without generating audit records that are specific to the security and mission needs of the organization, it would be difficult to establish, correlate, and investigate the events relating to an in...
    Rule Medium Severity
  • SRG-OS-000463

    Group
  • The operating system must generate audit records when successful/unsuccessful attempts to modify security objects occur.

    Without generating audit records that are specific to the security and mission needs of the organization, it would be difficult to establish, correlate, and investigate the events relating to an in...
    Rule Medium Severity
  • SRG-OS-000465

    Group
  • The operating system must generate audit records when successful/unsuccessful attempts to modify categories of information (e.g., classification levels) occur.

    Without generating audit records that are specific to the security and mission needs of the organization, it would be difficult to establish, correlate, and investigate the events relating to an in...
    Rule Medium Severity
  • SRG-OS-000466

    Group
  • The operating system must generate audit records when successful/unsuccessful attempts to delete privileges occur.

    Without generating audit records that are specific to the security and mission needs of the organization, it would be difficult to establish, correlate, and investigate the events relating to an in...
    Rule Medium Severity
  • SRG-OS-000467

    Group
  • The operating system must generate audit records when successful/unsuccessful attempts to delete security levels occur.

    Without generating audit records that are specific to the security and mission needs of the organization, it would be difficult to establish, correlate, and investigate the events relating to an in...
    Rule Medium Severity
  • SRG-OS-000468

    Group
  • SRG-OS-000470

    Group
  • The operating system must generate audit records when successful/unsuccessful logon attempts occur.

    Without generating audit records that are specific to the security and mission needs of the organization, it would be difficult to establish, correlate, and investigate the events relating to an in...
    Rule Medium Severity

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