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Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC) Essential Eight

Rules and Groups employed by this XCCDF Profile

  • Record attempts to alter time through adjtimex

    If the <code>auditd</code> daemon is configured to use the <code>augenrules</code> program to read audit rules during daemon startup (the default), add the following line to a file with suffix <cod...
    Rule Medium Severity
  • Record Attempts to Alter Time Through clock_settime

    If the <code>auditd</code> daemon is configured to use the <code>augenrules</code> program to read audit rules during daemon startup (the default), add the following line to a file with suffix <cod...
    Rule Medium Severity
  • Record attempts to alter time through settimeofday

    If the <code>auditd</code> daemon is configured to use the <code>augenrules</code> program to read audit rules during daemon startup (the default), add the following line to a file with suffix <cod...
    Rule Medium Severity
  • Record Attempts to Alter Time Through stime

    If the <code>auditd</code> daemon is configured to use the <code>augenrules</code> program to read audit rules during daemon startup (the default), add the following line to a file with suffix <cod...
    Rule Medium Severity
  • Record Attempts to Alter the localtime File

    If the <code>auditd</code> daemon is configured to use the <code>augenrules</code> program to read audit rules during daemon startup (the default), add the following line to a file with suffix <cod...
    Rule Medium Severity
  • Configure auditd Data Retention

    The audit system writes data to <code>/var/log/audit/audit.log</code>. By default, <code>auditd</code> rotates 5 logs by size (6MB), retaining a maximum of 30MB of data in total, and refuses to wri...
    Group
  • Configure auditd flush priority

    The <code>auditd</code> service can be configured to synchronously write audit event data to disk. Add or correct the following line in <code>/etc/audit/auditd.conf</code> to ensure that audit even...
    Rule Medium Severity
  • Set number of records to cause an explicit flush to audit logs

    To configure Audit daemon to issue an explicit flush to disk command after writing <xccdf-1.2:sub idref="xccdf_org.ssgproject.content_value_var_auditd_freq" use="legacy"></xccdf-1.2:sub> records, s...
    Rule Medium Severity
  • Include Local Events in Audit Logs

    To configure Audit daemon to include local events in Audit logs, set local_events to yes in /etc/audit/auditd.conf. This is the default setting.
    Rule Medium Severity
  • Resolve information before writing to audit logs

    To configure Audit daemon to resolve all uid, gid, syscall, architecture, and socket address information before writing the events to disk, set <code>log_format</code> to <code>ENRICHED</code> in <...
    Rule Low Severity
  • Set type of computer node name logging in audit logs

    To configure Audit daemon to use a unique identifier as computer node name in the audit events, set <code>name_format</code> to <code><xccdf-1.2:sub idref="xccdf_org.ssgproject.content_value_var_au...
    Rule Medium Severity
  • Write Audit Logs to the Disk

    To configure Audit daemon to write Audit logs to the disk, set write_logs to yes in /etc/audit/auditd.conf. This is the default setting.
    Rule Medium Severity
  • Configure Syslog

    The syslog service has been the default Unix logging mechanism for many years. It has a number of downsides, including inconsistent log format, lack of authentication for received messages, and lac...
    Group
  • Ensure rsyslog is Installed

    Rsyslog is installed by default. The rsyslog package can be installed with the following command:
     $ sudo yum install rsyslog
    Rule Medium Severity
  • Enable rsyslog Service

    The <code>rsyslog</code> service provides syslog-style logging by default on Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7. The <code>rsyslog</code> service can be enabled with the following command: <pre>$ sudo sys...
    Rule Medium Severity
  • Network Configuration and Firewalls

    Most systems must be connected to a network of some sort, and this brings with it the substantial risk of network attack. This section discusses the security impact of decisions about networking wh...
    Group
  • Ensure System is Not Acting as a Network Sniffer

    The system should not be acting as a network sniffer, which can capture all traffic on the network to which it is connected. Run the following to determine if any interface is running in promiscuou...
    Rule Medium Severity
  • firewalld

    The dynamic firewall daemon <code>firewalld</code> provides a dynamically managed firewall with support for network “zones” to assign a level of trust to a network and its associated connections an...
    Group
  • Inspect and Activate Default firewalld Rules

    Firewalls can be used to separate networks into different zones based on the level of trust the user has decided to place on the devices and traffic within that network. <code>NetworkManager</code>...
    Group
  • Install firewalld Package

    The firewalld package can be installed with the following command:
    $ sudo yum install firewalld
    Rule Medium Severity
  • Verify firewalld Enabled

    The firewalld service can be enabled with the following command:
    $ sudo systemctl enable firewalld.service
    Rule Medium Severity
  • File Permissions and Masks

    Traditional Unix security relies heavily on file and directory permissions to prevent unauthorized users from reading or modifying files to which they should not have access. <br><br> Several of th...
    Group
  • Verify Permissions on Important Files and Directories

    Permissions for many files on a system must be set restrictively to ensure sensitive information is properly protected. This section discusses important permission restrictions which can be verifie...
    Group
  • Verify that All World-Writable Directories Have Sticky Bits Set

    When the so-called 'sticky bit' is set on a directory, only the owner of a given file may remove that file from the directory. Without the sticky bit, any user with write access to a directory may ...
    Rule Medium Severity
  • Ensure All SGID Executables Are Authorized

    The SGID (set group id) bit should be set only on files that were installed via authorized means. A straightforward means of identifying unauthorized SGID files is determine if any were not install...
    Rule Medium Severity
  • Ensure All SUID Executables Are Authorized

    The SUID (set user id) bit should be set only on files that were installed via authorized means. A straightforward means of identifying unauthorized SUID files is determine if any were not installe...
    Rule Medium Severity
  • Ensure No World-Writable Files Exist

    It is generally a good idea to remove global (other) write access to a file when it is discovered. However, check with documentation for specific applications before making changes. Also, monitor f...
    Rule Medium Severity
  • Verify File Permissions Within Some Important Directories

    Some directories contain files whose confidentiality or integrity is notably important and may also be susceptible to misconfiguration over time, particularly if unpackaged software is installed. A...
    Group
  • Verify that System Executables Have Root Ownership

    System executables are stored in the following directories by default: <pre>/bin /sbin /usr/bin /usr/libexec /usr/local/bin /usr/local/sbin /usr/sbin</pre> All files in these directories should be ...
    Rule Medium Severity
  • Verify that Shared Library Files Have Root Ownership

    System-wide shared library files, which are linked to executables during process load time or run time, are stored in the following directories by default: <pre>/lib /lib64 /usr/lib /usr/lib64 </pr...
    Rule Medium Severity
  • Verify that System Executables Have Restrictive Permissions

    System executables are stored in the following directories by default: <pre>/bin /sbin /usr/bin /usr/libexec /usr/local/bin /usr/local/sbin /usr/sbin</pre> All files in these directories should not...
    Rule Medium Severity
  • Verify that Shared Library Files Have Restrictive Permissions

    System-wide shared library files, which are linked to executables during process load time or run time, are stored in the following directories by default: <pre>/lib /lib64 /usr/lib /usr/lib64 </pr...
    Rule Medium Severity
  • Restrict Partition Mount Options

    System partitions can be mounted with certain options that limit what files on those partitions can do. These options are set in the <code>/etc/fstab</code> configuration file, and can be used to m...
    Group
  • Add nodev Option to /dev/shm

    The <code>nodev</code> mount option can be used to prevent creation of device files in <code>/dev/shm</code>. Legitimate character and block devices should not exist within temporary directories li...
    Rule Medium Severity
  • Add noexec Option to /dev/shm

    The <code>noexec</code> mount option can be used to prevent binaries from being executed out of <code>/dev/shm</code>. It can be dangerous to allow the execution of binaries from world-writable tem...
    Rule Medium Severity
  • Add nosuid Option to /dev/shm

    The <code>nosuid</code> mount option can be used to prevent execution of setuid programs in <code>/dev/shm</code>. The SUID and SGID permissions should not be required in these world-writable dire...
    Rule Medium Severity
  • Restrict Programs from Dangerous Execution Patterns

    The recommendations in this section are designed to ensure that the system's features to protect against potentially dangerous program execution are activated. These protections are applied at the ...
    Group
  • Restrict Access to Kernel Message Buffer

    To set the runtime status of the <code>kernel.dmesg_restrict</code> kernel parameter, run the following command: <pre>$ sudo sysctl -w kernel.dmesg_restrict=1</pre> To make sure that the setting is...
    Rule Low Severity
  • Disable Kernel Image Loading

    To set the runtime status of the <code>kernel.kexec_load_disabled</code> kernel parameter, run the following command: <pre>$ sudo sysctl -w kernel.kexec_load_disabled=1</pre> To make sure that the ...
    Rule Medium Severity
  • Restrict usage of ptrace to descendant processes

    To set the runtime status of the <code>kernel.yama.ptrace_scope</code> kernel parameter, run the following command: <pre>$ sudo sysctl -w kernel.yama.ptrace_scope=1</pre> To make sure that the sett...
    Rule Medium Severity
  • Enable ExecShield

    ExecShield describes kernel features that provide protection against exploitation of memory corruption errors such as buffer overflows. These features include random placement of the stack and othe...
    Group
  • Enable ExecShield via sysctl

    By default on Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7 64-bit systems, ExecShield is enabled and can only be disabled if the hardware does not support ExecShield or is disabled in /etc/default/grub.
    Rule Medium Severity
  • Restrict Exposed Kernel Pointer Addresses Access

    To set the runtime status of the <code>kernel.kptr_restrict</code> kernel parameter, run the following command: <pre>$ sudo sysctl -w kernel.kptr_restrict=<xccdf-1.2:sub idref="xccdf_org.ssgproject...
    Rule Medium Severity
  • Enable Randomized Layout of Virtual Address Space

    To set the runtime status of the <code>kernel.randomize_va_space</code> kernel parameter, run the following command: <pre>$ sudo sysctl -w kernel.randomize_va_space=2</pre> To make sure that the se...
    Rule Medium Severity
  • SELinux

    SELinux is a feature of the Linux kernel which can be used to guard against misconfigured or compromised programs. SELinux enforces the idea that programs should be limited in what files they can a...
    Group
  • Configure SELinux Policy

    The SELinux <code>targeted</code> policy is appropriate for general-purpose desktops and servers, as well as systems in many other roles. To configure the system to use this policy, add or correct ...
    Rule Medium Severity
  • Ensure SELinux State is Enforcing

    The SELinux state should be set to <code><xccdf-1.2:sub idref="xccdf_org.ssgproject.content_value_var_selinux_state" use="legacy"></xccdf-1.2:sub></code> at system boot time. In the file <code>/et...
    Rule High Severity
  • Services

    The best protection against vulnerable software is running less software. This section describes how to review the software which Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7 installs on a system and disable softwar...
    Group
  • Avahi Server

    The Avahi daemon implements the DNS Service Discovery and Multicast DNS protocols, which provide service and host discovery on a network. It allows a system to automatically identify resources on t...
    Group
  • Disable Avahi Server if Possible

    Because the Avahi daemon service keeps an open network port, it is subject to network attacks. Disabling it can reduce the system's vulnerability to such attacks.
    Group

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