Title

The Red Hat Enterprise Linux operating system must be configured to disable USB mass storage. (Cat II impact)

Discussion

USB mass storage permits easy introduction of unknown devices, thereby facilitating malicious activity. Satisfies: SRG-OS-000114-GPOS-00059, SRG-OS-000378-GPOS-00163, SRG-OS-000480-GPOS-00227

Check Content

Verify the operating system disables the ability to load the USB Storage kernel module. # grep -r usb-storage /etc/modprobe.d/* | grep -i "/bin/false" | grep -v "^#" install usb-storage /bin/false If the command does not return any output, or the line is commented out, and use of USB Storage is not documented with the Information System Security Officer (ISSO) as an operational requirement, this is a finding. Verify the operating system disables the ability to use USB mass storage devices. Check to see if USB mass storage is disabled with the following command: # grep usb-storage /etc/modprobe.d/* | grep -i "blacklist" | grep -v "^#" blacklist usb-storage If the command does not return any output or the output is not "blacklist usb-storage", and use of USB storage devices is not documented with the ISSO as an operational requirement, this is a finding.

Fix Text

Configure the operating system to disable the ability to use the USB Storage kernel module. Create a file under "/etc/modprobe.d" with the following command: # touch /etc/modprobe.d/usb-storage.conf Add the following line to the created file: install usb-storage /bin/false Configure the operating system to disable the ability to use USB mass storage devices. # vi /etc/modprobe.d/blacklist.conf Add or update the line: blacklist usb-storage

Additional Identifiers

Rule ID: SV-204449r958498_rule

Vulnerability ID: V-204449

Group Title: SRG-OS-000114-GPOS-00059

Expert Comments

CCIs tied to check.

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