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Remove Rsh Trust Files

An XCCDF Rule

Description

The files /etc/hosts.equiv and ~/.rhosts (in each user's home directory) list remote hosts and users that are trusted by the local system when using the rshd daemon. To remove these files, run the following command to delete them from any location:

$ sudo rm /etc/hosts.equiv
$ rm ~/.rhosts

Rationale

This action is only meaningful if .rhosts support is permitted through PAM. Trust files are convenient, but when used in conjunction with the R-services, they can allow unauthenticated access to a system.

ID
xccdf_org.ssgproject.content_rule_no_rsh_trust_files
Severity
High
References
Updated



Remediation - Shell Script

# Remediation is applicable only in certain platforms
if rpm --quiet -q rsh-server; then

find /root -xdev -type f -name ".rhosts" -exec rm -f {} \;
find /home -maxdepth 2 -xdev -type f -name ".rhosts" -exec rm -f {} \;
rm -f /etc/hosts.equiv

Remediation - Ansible

- name: Gather the package facts
  package_facts:
    manager: auto
  tags:
  - CCE-84145-2
  - NIST-800-53-CM-6(a)