Title

The RHEL 8 SSH private host key files must have mode 0640 or less permissive. (Cat II impact)

Discussion

If an unauthorized user obtains the private SSH host key file, the host could be impersonated.

Check Content

Verify the SSH private host key files have mode "0640" or less permissive with the following command: $ sudo ls -l /etc/ssh/ssh_host*key -rw-r----- 1 root ssh_keys 668 Nov 28 06:43 ssh_host_dsa_key -rw-r----- 1 root ssh_keys 582 Nov 28 06:43 ssh_host_key -rw-r----- 1 root ssh_keys 887 Nov 28 06:43 ssh_host_rsa_key If any private host key file has a mode more permissive than "0640", this is a finding.

Fix Text

Configure the mode of SSH private host key files under "/etc/ssh" to "0640" with the following command: $ sudo chmod 0640 /etc/ssh/ssh_host*key The SSH daemon must be restarted for the changes to take effect. To restart the SSH daemon, run the following command: $ sudo systemctl restart sshd.service

Additional Identifiers

Rule ID: SV-230287r880714_rule

Vulnerability ID: V-230287

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

Expert Comments

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