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Guide to the Secure Configuration of Oracle Linux 8

Rules, Groups, and Values defined within the XCCDF Benchmark

  • DHCP

    The Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) allows systems to request and obtain an IP address and other configuration parameters from a server....
    Group
  • Configure DHCP Client if Necessary

    If DHCP must be used, then certain configuration changes can minimize the amount of information it receives and applies from the network, and thus ...
    Group
  • Protect DNS Data from Tampering or Attack

    This section discusses DNS configuration options which make it more difficult for attackers to gain access to private DNS data or to modify DNS data.
    Group
  • Configure PERL Securely

    PERL (Practical Extraction and Report Language) is an interpreted language optimized for scanning arbitrary text files, extracting information from...
    Group
  • Minimize the DHCP-Configured Options

    Create the file <code>/etc/dhcp/dhclient.conf</code>, and add an appropriate setting for each of the ten configuration settings which can be obtain...
    Rule Unknown Severity
  • Configure DHCP Server

    If the system must act as a DHCP server, the configuration information it serves should be minimized. Also, support for other protocols and DNS-upd...
    Group
  • Minimize Served Information

    Edit /etc/dhcp/dhcpd.conf. Examine each address range section within the file, and ensure that the following options are not defined unless there i...
    Rule Unknown Severity
  • Disable DHCP Client

    DHCP is the default network configuration method provided by the system installer, and common on many networks. Nevertheless, manual management of ...
    Group
  • Disable DHCP Server

    The DHCP server <code>dhcpd</code> is not installed or activated by default. If the software was installed and activated, but the system does not n...
    Group
  • Uninstall DHCP Server Package

    If the system does not need to act as a DHCP server, the dhcp package can be uninstalled. The <code>dhcp-server</code> package can be removed with...
    Rule Medium Severity
  • DNS Server

    Most organizations have an operational need to run at least one nameserver. However, there are many common attacks involving DNS server software, a...
    Group
  • Disable DNS Server

    DNS software should be disabled on any systems which does not need to be a nameserver. Note that the BIND DNS server software is not installed on O...
    Group
  • Uninstall bind Package

    The <code>named</code> service is provided by the <code>bind</code> package. The <code>bind</code> package can be removed with the following comman...
    Rule Low Severity
  • Isolate DNS from Other Services

    This section discusses mechanisms for preventing the DNS server from interfering with other services. This is done both to protect the remainder of...
    Group
  • Run DNS Software in a chroot Jail

    Install the <code>bind-chroot</code> package: <pre>$ sudo yum install bind-chroot</pre> Place a valid named.conf file inside the chroot jail: <pre>...
    Group
  • Run DNS Software on Dedicated Servers

    Since DNS is a high-risk service which must frequently be made available to the entire Internet, it is strongly recommended that no other services ...
    Group
  • Use Views to Partition External and Internal Information

    If it is not possible to run external and internal nameservers on separate physical systems, run BIND9 and simulate this feature using views. Edit ...
    Group
  • Run Separate DNS Servers for External and Internal Queries

    Is it possible to run external and internal nameservers on separate systems? If so, follow the configuration guidance in this section. On the exter...
    Group
  • Docker Service

    The docker service is necessary to create containers, which are self-sufficient and self-contained applications using the resource isolation fe...
    Group
  • Application Whitelisting Daemon

    Fapolicyd (File Access Policy Daemon) implements application whitelisting to decide file access rights. Applications that are known via a reputatio...
    Group
  • Install fapolicyd Package

    The fapolicyd package can be installed with the following command:
    $ sudo yum install fapolicyd
    Rule Medium Severity
  • Enable the File Access Policy Service

    The File Access Policy service should be enabled. The <code>fapolicyd</code> service can be enabled with the following command: <pre>$ sudo system...
    Rule Medium Severity
  • Configure Fapolicy Module to Employ a Deny-all, Permit-by-exception Policy to Allow the Execution of Authorized Software Programs.

    The Fapolicy module must be configured to employ a deny-all, permit-by-exception policy to allow the execution of authorized software programs and ...
    Rule Medium Severity
  • fapolicyd Must be Configured to Limit Access to Users Home Folders

    fapolicyd needs be configured so that users cannot give access to their home folders to other users.
    Rule Medium Severity
  • FTP Server

    FTP is a common method for allowing remote access to files. Like telnet, the FTP protocol is unencrypted, which means that passwords and other data...
    Group
  • Disable vsftpd if Possible

    To minimize attack surface, disable vsftpd if at all possible.
    Group
  • Uninstall vsftpd Package

    The vsftpd package can be removed with the following command:
     $ sudo yum erase vsftpd
    Rule High Severity
  • Configure vsftpd to Provide FTP Service if Necessary

    The primary vsftpd configuration file is /etc/vsftpd.conf, if that file exists, or /etc/vsftpd/vsftpd.conf if it does not.
    Group
  • Run httpd in a chroot Jail if Practical

    Running <code>httpd</code> inside a <code>chroot</code> jail is designed to isolate the web server process to a small section of the filesystem, li...
    Group
  • Configure Firewalls to Protect the FTP Server

    By default, <code>iptables</code> blocks access to the ports used by the web server. To configure <code>iptables</code> to allow port 21 traffic,...
    Rule Unknown Severity
  • Restrict the Set of Users Allowed to Access FTP

    This section describes how to disable non-anonymous (password-based) FTP logins, or, if it is not possible to do this entirely due to legacy applic...
    Group
  • Limit Users Allowed FTP Access if Necessary

    If there is a mission-critical reason for users to access their accounts via the insecure FTP protocol, limit the set of users who are allowed this...
    Rule Unknown Severity
  • Use vsftpd to Provide FTP Service if Necessary

    If your use-case requires FTP service, install and set-up vsftpd to provide it.
    Group
  • Web Server

    The web server is responsible for providing access to content via the HTTP protocol. Web servers represent a significant security risk because: <br...
    Group
  • Disable Apache if Possible

    If Apache was installed and activated, but the system does not need to act as a web server, then it should be disabled and removed from the system.
    Group
  • Disable NGINX if Possible

    If NGINX was installed and activated, but the system does not need to act as a web server, then it should be removed from the system.
    Group
  • Install Apache if Necessary

    If <code>httpd</code> was not installed and activated, but the system needs to act as a web server, then it should be installed on the system. Foll...
    Group
  • Confirm Minimal Built-in Modules Installed

    The default <code>httpd</code> installation minimizes the number of modules that are compiled directly into the binary (<code>core prefork http_cor...
    Group
  • Secure Apache Configuration

    The <code>httpd</code> configuration file is <code>/etc/httpd/conf/httpd.conf</code>. Apply the recommendations in the remainder of this section to...
    Group
  • HTTPD Log Level

    The setting for LogLevel in /etc/httpd/conf/httpd.conf
    Value
  • Maximum KeepAlive Requests for HTTPD

    The setting for MaxKeepAliveRequests in httpd.conf
    Value
  • Configure Operating System to Protect Web Server

    The following configuration steps should be taken on the system which hosts the web server, in order to provide as safe an environment as possible ...
    Group
  • Configure PHP Securely

    PHP is a widely-used and often misconfigured server-side scripting language. It should be used with caution, but configured appropriately when need...
    Group
  • Directory Restrictions

    The Directory tags in the web server configuration file allow finer grained access control for a specified directory. All web directories should be...
    Group
  • Minimize Web Server Loadable Modules

    A default installation of <code>httpd</code> includes a plethora of dynamically shared objects (DSO) that are loaded at run-time. Unlike the aforem...
    Group
  • httpd Core Modules

    These modules comprise a basic subset of modules that are likely needed for base <code>httpd</code> functionality; ensure they are not commented ou...
    Group
  • Minimize Modules for HTTP Basic Authentication

    The following modules are necessary if this web server will provide content that will be restricted by a password. <br><br> Authentication can be p...
    Group
  • Minimize Configuration Files Included

    The <code>Include</code> directive directs <code>httpd</code> to load supplementary configuration files from a provided path. The default configura...
    Group
  • Enable SSL Support

    SSL should be used to encrypt network traffic between the Dovecot server and its clients. Users must authenticate to the Dovecot server in order ...
    Group
  • Minimize Various Optional Components

    The following modules perform very specific tasks, sometimes providing access to just a few additional directives. If such functionality is not req...
    Group

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