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Enable FIPS Mode

An XCCDF Rule

Description

To enable FIPS mode, run the following command:

fips-mode-setup --enable

The fips-mode-setup command will configure the system in FIPS mode by automatically configuring the following:
  • Setting the kernel FIPS mode flag (/proc/sys/crypto/fips_enabled) to 1
  • Creating /etc/system-fips
  • Setting the system crypto policy in /etc/crypto-policies/config to
  • Loading the Dracut fips module

warning alert: Warning

The system needs to be rebooted for these changes to take effect.

warning alert: Regulatory Warning

This rule DOES NOT CHECK if the components of the operating system are FIPS certified. You can find the list of FIPS certified modules at https://csrc.nist.gov/projects/cryptographic-module-validation-program/validated-modules/search. This rule checks if the system is running in FIPS mode. See the rule description for more information about what it means.

Rationale

Use of weak or untested encryption algorithms undermines the purposes of utilizing encryption to protect data. The operating system must implement cryptographic modules adhering to the higher standards approved by the federal government since this provides assurance they have been tested and validated.

ID
xccdf_org.ssgproject.content_rule_enable_fips_mode
Severity
High
References
Updated



Remediation - OS Build Blueprint


[customizations]
fips = true

Remediation - Shell Script

# Remediation is applicable only in certain platforms
if ( [ ! -f /.dockerenv ] && [ ! -f /run/.containerenv ] && ! ( [ "${container:-}" == "bwrap-osbuild" ] ) ) && { [ ! -f /.dockerenv ] && [ ! -f /run/.containerenv ]; }; then

var_system_crypto_policy='<xccdf-1.2:sub xmlns:xccdf-1.2="http://checklists.nist.gov/xccdf/1.2" idref="xccdf_org.ssgproject.content_value_var_system_crypto_policy" use="legacy"/>'



Remediation - Ansible

- name: XCCDF Value var_system_crypto_policy # promote to variable
  set_fact:
    var_system_crypto_policy: !!str <xccdf-1.2:sub xmlns:xccdf-1.2="http://checklists.nist.gov/xccdf/1.2" idref="xccdf_org.ssgproject.content_value_var_system_crypto_policy" use="legacy"/>
  tags:
    - always