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Guide to the Secure Configuration of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8

Rules, Groups, and Values defined within the XCCDF Benchmark

  • Disable telnet Service

    Make sure that the activation of the <code>telnet</code> service on system boot is disabled. The <code>telnet</code> socket can be disabled with t...
    Rule High Severity
  • TFTP Server

    TFTP is a lightweight version of the FTP protocol which has traditionally been used to configure networking equipment. However, TFTP provides littl...
    Group
  • TFTP server secure directory

    Specify the directory which is used by TFTP server as a root directory when running in secure mode.
    Value
  • Disable Samba

    The smb service can be disabled with the following command:
    $ sudo systemctl mask --now smb.service
    Rule Low Severity
  • Disable Printer Browsing Entirely if Possible

    By default, CUPS listens on the network for printer list broadcasts on UDP port 631. This functionality is called printer browsing. To disable prin...
    Rule Unknown Severity
  • Uninstall tftp-server Package

    The tftp-server package can be removed with the following command:
     $ sudo yum erase tftp-server
    Rule High Severity
  • Remove tftp Daemon

    Trivial File Transfer Protocol (TFTP) is a simple file transfer protocol, typically used to automatically transfer configuration or boot files betw...
    Rule Low Severity
  • Disable tftp Service

    The <code>tftp</code> service should be disabled. The <code>tftp</code> service can be disabled with the following command: <pre>$ sudo systemctl ...
    Rule High Severity
  • Ensure tftp Daemon Uses Secure Mode

    If running the Trivial File Transfer Protocol (TFTP) service is necessary, it should be configured to change its root directory at startup. To do s...
    Rule Medium Severity
  • Print Support

    The Common Unix Printing System (CUPS) service provides both local and network printing support. A system running the CUPS service can accept print...
    Group
  • Uninstall CUPS Package

    The cups package can be removed with the following command:
    $ sudo yum erase cups
    Rule Unknown Severity
  • Network Routing

    A router is a very desirable target for a potential adversary because they fulfill a variety of infrastructure networking roles such as access to ...
    Group
  • Disable Quagga if Possible

    If Quagga was installed and activated, but the system does not need to act as a router, then it should be disabled and removed.
    Group
  • Uninstall quagga Package

    The quagga package can be removed with the following command:
     $ sudo yum erase quagga
    Rule Low Severity
  • SSH Max authentication attempts

    Specify the maximum number of authentication attempts per connection.
    Value
  • Disable Print Server Capabilities

    To prevent remote users from potentially connecting to and using locally configured printers, disable the CUPS print server sharing capabilities. T...
    Rule Unknown Severity
  • Proxy Server

    A proxy server is a very desirable target for a potential adversary because much (or all) sensitive data for a given infrastructure may flow throug...
    Group
  • Disable Quagga Service

    The zebra service can be disabled with the following command:
    $ sudo systemctl mask --now zebra.service
    Rule Medium Severity
  • Samba(SMB) Microsoft Windows File Sharing Server

    When properly configured, the Samba service allows Linux systems to provide file and print sharing to Microsoft Windows systems. There are two soft...
    Group
  • Configure Samba if Necessary

    All settings for the Samba daemon can be found in <code>/etc/samba/smb.conf</code>. Settings are divided between a <code>[global]</code> configurat...
    Group
  • Install the Samba Common Package

    The <code>samba-common</code> package should be installed. The <code>samba-common</code> package can be installed with the following command: <pre>...
    Rule Medium Severity
  • Require Client SMB Packet Signing, if using mount.cifs

    Require packet signing of clients who mount Samba shares using the <code>mount.cifs</code> program (e.g., those who specify shares in <code>/etc/fs...
    Rule Unknown Severity
  • Require Client SMB Packet Signing, if using smbclient

    To require samba clients running <code>smbclient</code> to use packet signing, add the following to the <code>[global]</code> section of the Samba ...
    Rule Unknown Severity
  • Disable Root Access to SMB Shares

    Administrators should not use administrator accounts to access Samba file and printer shares. Disable the root user and the wheel administrator gro...
    Rule Unknown Severity
  • Restrict Printer Sharing

    By default, Samba utilizes the CUPS printing service to enable printer sharing with Microsoft Windows workstations. If there are no printers on the...
    Group
  • Restrict SMB File Sharing to Configured Networks

    Only users with local user accounts will be able to log in to Samba shares by default. Shares can be limited to particular users or network address...
    Group
  • Disable Samba if Possible

    Even after the Samba server package has been installed, it will remain disabled. Do not enable this service unless it is absolutely necessary to pr...
    Group
  • SNMP Server

    The Simple Network Management Protocol allows administrators to monitor the state of network devices, including computers. Older versions of SNMP w...
    Group
  • Disable SNMP Server if Possible

    The system includes an SNMP daemon that allows for its remote monitoring, though it not installed by default. If it was installed and activated but...
    Group
  • Uninstall net-snmp Package

    The <code>net-snmp</code> package provides the snmpd service. The <code>net-snmp</code> package can be removed with the following command: <pre> $...
    Rule Unknown Severity
  • Disable snmpd Service

    The snmpd service can be disabled with the following command:
    $ sudo systemctl mask --now snmpd.service
    Rule Low Severity
  • Configure SNMP Server if Necessary

    If it is necessary to run the snmpd agent on the system, some best practices should be followed to minimize the security risk from the installation...
    Group
  • SNMP read-only community string

    Specify the SNMP community string used for read-only access.
    Value
  • SNMP read-write community string

    Specify the SNMP community string used for read-write access.
    Value
  • Ensure SNMP Read Write is disabled

    Edit <code>/etc/snmp/snmpd.conf</code>, remove any <code>rwuser</code> entries. Once the read write users have been removed, restart the SNMP servi...
    Rule Medium Severity
  • Ensure Default SNMP Password Is Not Used

    Edit <code>/etc/snmp/snmpd.conf</code>, remove or change the default community strings of <code>public</code> and <code>private</code>. This profil...
    Rule High Severity
  • Configure SNMP Service to Use Only SNMPv3 or Newer

    Edit <code>/etc/snmp/snmpd.conf</code>, removing any references to <code>rocommunity</code>, <code>rwcommunity</code>, or <code>com2sec</code>. Upo...
    Rule Medium Severity
  • SSH Server

    The SSH protocol is recommended for remote login and remote file transfer. SSH provides confidentiality and integrity for data exchanged between tw...
    Group
  • SSH enabled firewalld zone

    Specify firewalld zone to enable SSH service. This value is used only for remediation purposes.
    Value
  • SSH Approved ciphers by FIPS

    Specify the FIPS approved ciphers that are used for data integrity protection by the SSH server.
    Value
  • SSH Approved MACs by FIPS

    Specify the FIPS approved MACs (message authentication code) algorithms that are used for data integrity protection by the SSH server.
    Value
  • SSH session Idle time

    Specify duration of allowed idle time.
    Value
  • SSH Server Listening Port

    Specify port the SSH server is listening.
    Value
  • SSH is required to be installed

    Specify if the Policy requires SSH to be installed. Used by SSH Rules to determine if SSH should be uninstalled or configured.<br> A value of 0 mea...
    Value
  • SSH Strong KEX by FIPS

    Specify the FIPS approved KEXs (Key Exchange Algorithms) algorithms that are used for methods in cryptography by which cryptographic keys are exch...
    Value
  • SSH Max Sessions Count

    Specify the maximum number of open sessions permitted.
    Value
  • SSH Max Keep Alive Count

    Specify the maximum number of idle message counts before session is terminated.
    Value
  • Install OpenSSH client software

    The openssh-clients package can be installed with the following command:
    $ sudo yum install openssh-clients
    Rule Medium Severity
  • Install the OpenSSH Server Package

    The <code>openssh-server</code> package should be installed. The <code>openssh-server</code> package can be installed with the following command: <...
    Rule Medium Severity
  • Remove the OpenSSH Server Package

    The <code>openssh-server</code> package should be removed. The <code>openssh-server</code> package can be removed with the following command: <pre>...
    Rule Medium Severity

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