Disable SSH Access via Empty Passwords

An XCCDF Rule

Description

Disallow SSH login with empty passwords. The default SSH configuration disables logins with empty passwords. The appropriate configuration is used if no value is set for PermitEmptyPasswords.
To explicitly disallow SSH login from accounts with empty passwords, add or correct the following line in /etc/ssh/sshd_config:

PermitEmptyPasswords no

Any accounts with empty passwords should be disabled immediately, and PAM configuration should prevent users from being able to assign themselves empty passwords.

Rationale

Configuring this setting for the SSH daemon provides additional assurance that remote login via SSH will require a password, even in the event of misconfiguration elsewhere.

ID: xccdf_org.ssgproject.content_rule_sshd_disable_empty_passwords
Severity: High
References: NT007(R17)

11 12 13 14 15 16 18 3 5 9

5.5.6

APO01.06 BAI10.01 BAI10.02 BAI10.03 BAI10.05 DSS05.02 DSS05.04 DSS05.05 DSS05.07 DSS06.02 DSS06.03 DSS06.06

3.1.1 3.1.5

CCI-000366 CCI-000766

164.308(a)(4)(i) 164.308(b)(1) 164.308(b)(3) 164.310(b) 164.312(e)(1) 164.312(e)(2)(ii)

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 4.3.4.3.2 4.3.4.3.3

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 SR 5.2 SR 7.6

A.10.1.1 A.11.1.4 A.11.1.5 A.11.2.1 A.12.1.2 A.12.5.1 A.12.6.2 A.13.1.1 A.13.1.3 A.13.2.1 A.13.2.3 A.13.2.4 A.14.1.2 A.14.1.3 A.14.2.2 A.14.2.3 A.14.2.4 A.6.1.2 A.7.1.1 A.7.1.2 A.7.3.1 A.8.2.2 A.8.2.3 A.9.1.1 A.9.1.2 A.9.2.1 A.9.2.3 A.9.4.1 A.9.4.4 A.9.4.5

AC-17(a) CM-6(a) CM-7(a) CM-7(b)

PR.AC-4 PR.AC-6 PR.DS-5 PR.IP-1 PR.PT-3

FIA_UAU.1

Req-2.2.4

2.2.6

SRG-OS-000106-GPOS-00053 SRG-OS-000480-GPOS-00227 SRG-OS-000480-GPOS-00229

OL08-00-020330

SV-248714r858582_rule
Updated: about 1 year ago

- name: Find sshd_config included files
  shell: |-
    included_files=$(grep -oP "^\s*(?i)include.*" /etc/ssh/sshd_config | sed -e 's/\s*Include\s*//i' | sed -e 's|^[^/]|/etc/ssh/&|')
    [[ -n $included_files ]] && ls $included_files || true
  register: sshd_config_included_files
  when: ansible_virtualization_type not in ["docker", "lxc", "openvz", "podman", "container"]  tags:
  - CJIS-5.5.6
  - DISA-STIG-OL08-00-020330
  - NIST-800-171-3.1.1
  - NIST-800-171-3.1.5
  - NIST-800-53-AC-17(a)
  - NIST-800-53-CM-6(a)
  - NIST-800-53-CM-7(a)
  - NIST-800-53-CM-7(b)
  - PCI-DSS-Req-2.2.4
  - PCI-DSSv4-2.2.6
  - high_severity
  - low_complexity
  - low_disruption
  - no_reboot_needed
  - restrict_strategy
  - sshd_disable_empty_passwords

- name: Comment conf from included files
  replace:
    path: '{{ item }}'
    regexp: ^(\s*PermitEmptyPasswords.*)$
    replace: '# \1'
  loop: '{{ sshd_config_included_files.stdout_lines }}'
  when: ansible_virtualization_type not in ["docker", "lxc", "openvz", "podman", "container"]
  tags:
  - CJIS-5.5.6
  - DISA-STIG-OL08-00-020330
  - NIST-800-171-3.1.1
  - NIST-800-171-3.1.5
  - NIST-800-53-AC-17(a)
  - NIST-800-53-CM-6(a)
  - NIST-800-53-CM-7(a)
  - NIST-800-53-CM-7(b)
  - PCI-DSS-Req-2.2.4
  - PCI-DSSv4-2.2.6
  - high_severity
  - low_complexity
  - low_disruption
  - no_reboot_needed
  - restrict_strategy
  - sshd_disable_empty_passwords

- name: Disable SSH Access via Empty Passwords
  block:

  - name: Check for duplicate values
    lineinfile:
      path: /etc/ssh/sshd_config
      create: true
      regexp: (?i)^\s*PermitEmptyPasswords\s+
      state: absent
    check_mode: true
    changed_when: false
    register: dupes

  - name: Deduplicate values from /etc/ssh/sshd_config
    lineinfile:
      path: /etc/ssh/sshd_config
      create: true
      regexp: (?i)^\s*PermitEmptyPasswords\s+
      state: absent
    when: dupes.found is defined and dupes.found > 1

  - name: Insert correct line to /etc/ssh/sshd_config
    lineinfile:
      path: /etc/ssh/sshd_config
      create: true
      regexp: (?i)^\s*PermitEmptyPasswords\s+
      line: PermitEmptyPasswords no
      state: present
      insertbefore: BOF
      validate: /usr/sbin/sshd -t -f %s
  when: ansible_virtualization_type not in ["docker", "lxc", "openvz", "podman", "container"]
  tags:
  - CJIS-5.5.6
  - DISA-STIG-OL08-00-020330
  - NIST-800-171-3.1.1
  - NIST-800-171-3.1.5
  - NIST-800-53-AC-17(a)
  - NIST-800-53-CM-6(a)
  - NIST-800-53-CM-7(a)
  - NIST-800-53-CM-7(b)
  - PCI-DSS-Req-2.2.4
  - PCI-DSSv4-2.2.6
  - high_severity
  - low_complexity
  - low_disruption
  - no_reboot_needed
  - restrict_strategy
  - sshd_disable_empty_passwords

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

# Find the include keyword, extract from the line the glob expression representing included files.
# And if it is a relative path prepend '/etc/ssh/'
included_files=$(grep -oP "^\s*(?i)include.*" /etc/ssh/sshd_config | sed -e 's/\s*include\s*//I' | sed -e 's|^[^/]|/etc/ssh/&|')for included_file in ${included_files} ; do
    
    LC_ALL=C sed -i "/^\s*PermitEmptyPasswords/Id" "$included_file"
done

if [ -e "/etc/ssh/sshd_config" ] ; then
    
    LC_ALL=C sed -i "/^\s*PermitEmptyPasswords\s\+/Id" "/etc/ssh/sshd_config"
else
    touch "/etc/ssh/sshd_config"
fi
# make sure file has newline at the end
sed -i -e '$a\' "/etc/ssh/sshd_config"

cp "/etc/ssh/sshd_config" "/etc/ssh/sshd_config.bak"
# Insert at the beginning of the file
printf '%s\n' "PermitEmptyPasswords no" > "/etc/ssh/sshd_config"
cat "/etc/ssh/sshd_config.bak" >> "/etc/ssh/sshd_config"
# Clean up after ourselves.
rm "/etc/ssh/sshd_config.bak"

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

Disable SSH Access via Empty Passwords

Description

Rationale

Remediation - Ansible

Remediation - Shell Script