Title

RHEL 8 must disable the kernel.core_pattern. (Cat II impact)

Discussion

It is detrimental for operating systems to provide, or install by default, functionality exceeding requirements or mission objectives. These unnecessary capabilities or services are often overlooked and therefore may remain unsecured. They increase the risk to the platform by providing additional attack vectors.

Check Content

Verify RHEL 8 disables storing core dumps with the following commands: $ sudo sysctl kernel.core_pattern kernel.core_pattern = |/bin/false If the returned line does not have a value of "|/bin/false", or a line is not returned and the need for core dumps is not documented with the Information System Security Officer (ISSO) as an operational requirement, this is a finding.

Fix Text

Configure RHEL 8 to disable storing core dumps by adding the following line to a file in the "/etc/sysctl.d" directory: kernel.core_pattern = |/bin/false The system configuration files need to be reloaded for the changes to take effect. To reload the contents of the files, run the following command: $ sudo sysctl --system

Additional Identifiers

Rule ID: SV-230311r627750_rule

Vulnerability ID: V-230311

Group Title: SRG-OS-000480-GPOS-00227

Expert Comments

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