Title

PostgreSQL must uniquely identify and authenticate nonorganizational users (or processes acting on behalf of nonorganizational users). (Cat II impact)

Discussion

Nonorganizational users include all information system users other than organizational users, which include organizational employees or individuals the organization deems to have equivalent status of employees (e.g., contractors, guest researchers, individuals from allied nations). Nonorganizational users must be uniquely identified and authenticated for all accesses other than those accesses explicitly identified and documented by the organization when related to the use of anonymous access, such as accessing a web server. Accordingly, a risk assessment is used in determining the authentication needs of the organization. Scalability, practicality, and security are simultaneously considered in balancing the need to ensure ease of use for access to federal information and information systems with the need to protect and adequately mitigate risk to organizational operations, organizational assets, individuals, other organizations, and the Nation.

Check Content

PostgreSQL uniquely identifies and authenticates PostgreSQL users through the use of DBMS roles. To list all roles in the database, as the database administrator (shown here as "postgres"), run the following SQL: $ sudo su - postgres $ psql -c "\du" If users are not uniquely identified per organizational documentation, this is a finding.

Fix Text

To drop a role, as the database administrator (shown here as "postgres"), run the following SQL: $ sudo su - postgres $ psql -c "DROP ROLE <role_to_drop>" To create a role, as the database administrator, run the following SQL: $ sudo su - postgres $ psql -c "CREATE ROLE <role name> LOGIN" For the complete list of permissions allowed by roles, refer to the official documentation: https://www.postgresql.org/docs/current/static/sql-createrole.html.

Additional Identifiers

Rule ID: SV-261897r1000696_rule

Vulnerability ID: V-261897

Group Title: SRG-APP-000180-DB-000115

Expert Comments

CCIs tied to check.

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