Title

If passwords are used for authentication, the EDB Postgres Advanced Server must transmit only encrypted representations of passwords. (Cat I impact)

Discussion

The DOD standard for authentication is DOD-approved PKI certificates. Authentication based on User ID and Password may be used only when it is not possible to employ a PKI certificate, and requires AO approval. In such cases, passwords need to be protected at all times, and encryption is the standard method for protecting passwords during transmission. DBMS passwords sent in clear text format across the network are vulnerable to discovery by unauthorized users. Disclosure of passwords may easily lead to unauthorized access to the database.

Check Content

Open the "pg_hba.conf" file in a viewer or editor. The default path for the pg_hba.conf file is /var/lib/edb/as<version>/data (PGDATA), but this will vary according to local circumstances. If any rows have TYPE of "hostssl" but do not include "clientcert=1" in the OPTIONS column at the end of the line, this is a finding.

Fix Text

Open the "pg_hba.conf" file in an editor. The default path for the pg_hba.conf file is /var/lib/edb/as<version>/data (PGDATA), but this will vary according to local circumstances. For any rows that have TYPE of "hostssl", append "clientcert=1" in the OPTIONS column at the end of the line.

Additional Identifiers

Rule ID: SV-259248r938797_rule

Vulnerability ID: V-259248

Group Title: SRG-APP-000172-DB-000075

Expert Comments

CCIs tied to check.

Controls tied to check. These are derived from the CCIs shown above.