Skip to content

Configure server restrictions for ntpd

An XCCDF Rule

Description

ntpd is a daemon which implements the Network Time Protocol (NTP). It is designed to synchronize system clocks across a variety of systems and use a source that is highly accurate. More information on NTP can be found at http://www.ntp.org. ntp can be configured to be a client and/or a server. To ensure that ntpd implements correct server restrictions, make sure that the following lines exist in the file /etc/ntpd.conf:

restrict -4 default kod nomodify notrap nopeer noquery
restrict -6 default kod nomodify notrap nopeer noquery
This recommendation only applies if ntp is in use on the system.

Rationale

If ntp is in use on the system proper configuration is vital to ensuring time synchronization is working properly.

ID
xccdf_org.ssgproject.content_rule_ntpd_configure_restrictions
Severity
Medium
References
Updated



Remediation - Shell Script

# Remediation is applicable only in certain platforms
if [ ! -f /.dockerenv ] && [ ! -f /run/.containerenv ] && { dpkg-query --show --showformat='${db:Status-Status}\n' 'ntp' 2>/dev/null | grep -q installed; }; then

if [ -e "/etc/ntp.conf" ] ; then
    
    LC_ALL=C sed -i "/^\s*restrict \-4\s\+/Id" "/etc/ntp.conf"