Title

Apple macOS must be configured to disable the tftp service. (Cat I impact)

Discussion

The "tftp" service must be disabled as it sends all data in a clear-text form that can be easily intercepted and read. The data needs to be protected at all times during transmission, and encryption is the standard method for protecting data in transit. If the data is not encrypted during transmission, it can be plainly read (i.e., clear text) and easily compromised. Disabling ftp is one way to mitigate this risk. Administrators should be instructed to use an alternate service for data transmission that uses encryption, such as SFTP. Additionally, the "tftp" service uses UDP, which is not secure.

Check Content

To check if the tftptd service is disabled, run the following command: sudo launchctl print-disabled system | grep tftpd If the results do not show the following, this is a finding: "com.apple.tftpd" => true

Fix Text

To disable the tftpd service, run the following command: /usr/bin/sudo /bin/launchctl disable system/com.apple.tftpd

Additional Identifiers

Rule ID: SV-230813r877396_rule

Vulnerability ID: V-230813

Group Title: SRG-OS-000074-GPOS-00042

Expert Comments

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