Require Authentication for Single User Mode

An XCCDF Rule

Description

Single-user mode is intended as a system recovery method, providing a single user root access to the system by providing a boot option at startup.

By default, single-user mode is protected by requiring a password and is set in /usr/lib/systemd/system/rescue.service.

Rationale

This prevents attackers with physical access from trivially bypassing security on the machine and gaining root access. Such accesses are further prevented by configuring the bootloader password.

ID: xccdf_org.ssgproject.content_rule_require_singleuser_auth
Severity: Medium
References: 1 11 12 14 15 16 18 3 5

DSS05.02 DSS05.04 DSS05.05 DSS05.07 DSS05.10 DSS06.03 DSS06.06 DSS06.10

3.1.1 3.4.5

CCI-000213

164.308(a)(1)(ii)(B) 164.308(a)(7)(i) 164.308(a)(7)(ii)(A) 164.310(a)(1) 164.310(a)(2)(i) 164.310(a)(2)(ii) 164.310(a)(2)(iii) 164.310(b) 164.310(c) 164.310(d)(1) 164.310(d)(2)(iii)

4.3.3.2.2 4.3.3.5.1 4.3.3.5.2 4.3.3.5.3 4.3.3.5.4 4.3.3.5.5 4.3.3.5.6 4.3.3.5.7 4.3.3.5.8 4.3.3.6.1 4.3.3.6.2 4.3.3.6.3 4.3.3.6.4 4.3.3.6.5 4.3.3.6.6 4.3.3.6.7 4.3.3.6.8 4.3.3.6.9 4.3.3.7.1 4.3.3.7.2 4.3.3.7.3 4.3.3.7.4

SR 1.1 SR 1.10 SR 1.11 SR 1.12 SR 1.13 SR 1.2 SR 1.3 SR 1.4 SR 1.5 SR 1.6 SR 1.7 SR 1.8 SR 1.9 SR 2.1 SR 2.2 SR 2.3 SR 2.4 SR 2.5 SR 2.6 SR 2.7

0421 0422 0431 0974 1173 1401 1504 1505 1546 1557 1558 1559 1560 1561

A.18.1.4 A.6.1.2 A.7.1.1 A.9.1.2 A.9.2.1 A.9.2.2 A.9.2.3 A.9.2.4 A.9.2.6 A.9.3.1 A.9.4.1 A.9.4.2 A.9.4.3 A.9.4.4 A.9.4.5

CIP-003-8 R5.1.1 CIP-003-8 R5.3 CIP-004-6 R2.2.3 CIP-004-6 R2.3 CIP-007-3 R5.1 CIP-007-3 R5.1.2 CIP-007-3 R5.2 CIP-007-3 R5.3.1 CIP-007-3 R5.3.2 CIP-007-3 R5.3.3

AC-3 CM-6(a) IA-2

PR.AC-1 PR.AC-4 PR.AC-6 PR.AC-7 PR.PT-3

FIA_UAU.1

SRG-OS-000080-GPOS-00048
Updated: about 1 year ago

- name: Require single user mode password
  lineinfile:
    create: true
    dest: /usr/lib/systemd/system/rescue.service
    regexp: ^#?ExecStart=
    line: ExecStart=-/usr/lib/systemd/systemd-sulogin-shell rescue  when: ansible_virtualization_type not in ["docker", "lxc", "openvz", "podman", "container"]
  tags:
  - NIST-800-171-3.1.1
  - NIST-800-171-3.4.5
  - NIST-800-53-AC-3
  - NIST-800-53-CM-6(a)
  - NIST-800-53-IA-2
  - low_complexity
  - low_disruption
  - medium_severity
  - no_reboot_needed
  - require_singleuser_auth
  - restrict_strategy

# Remediation is applicable only in certain platforms
if [ ! -f /.dockerenv ] && [ ! -f /run/.containerenv ]; then

service_file="/usr/lib/systemd/system/rescue.service"

sulogin="/usr/lib/systemd/systemd-sulogin-shell rescue"
if grep "^ExecStart=.*" "$service_file" ; then
    sed -i "s%^ExecStart=.*%ExecStart=-$sulogin%" "$service_file"
else
    echo "ExecStart=-$sulogin" >> "$service_file"
fi

else
    >&2 echo 'Remediation is not applicable, nothing was done'
fi

Require Authentication for Single User Mode

Description

Rationale

Remediation - Ansible

Remediation - Shell Script