Title

The system must not permit root logins using remote access programs such as SSH. (Cat II impact)

Discussion

Even though communications are encrypted, an additional layer of security may be gained by extending the policy of not logging directly on as root. In addition, logging in with a user-specific account preserves the audit trail.

Check Content

Check the SSH daemon configuration. Note that keywords are case-insensitive and arguments (args) are case-sensitive. keyword=PermitRootLogin Required arg(s)=no Default arg values include: "yes" Note: When the default "arg" value exactly matches the required "arg" value (see above), the <keyword=arg> are not required to exist (commented or uncommented) in the ssh (client) or sshd (server) configuration file. While not required, it is recommended that the configuration file(s) be populated with all keywords and assigned arg values as a means to explicitly document the ssh(d) binary's expected behavior. Examine the file. # cat /opt/ssh/etc/sshd_config | tr '\011' ' ' | tr -s ' ' | sed -e 's/^[ \t]*//' | grep -v '^#' | grep -i "PermitRootLogin" If the return value is yes, without-password or forced-commands-only, this is a finding.

Fix Text

Edit the configuration file and set the PermitRootLogin option to no.

Additional Identifiers

Rule ID: SV-38207r1_rule

Vulnerability ID: V-1047

Group Title: GEN001120

Expert Comments

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