Title

The graphical display manager must not be the default target on RHEL 9 unless approved. (Cat II impact)

Discussion

Unnecessary service packages must not be installed to decrease the attack surface of the system. Graphical display managers have a long history of security vulnerabilities and must not be used, unless approved and documented.

Check Content

Verify that RHEL 9 is configured to boot to the command line: $ systemctl get-default multi-user.target If the system default target is not set to "multi-user.target" and the information system security officer (ISSO) lacks a documented requirement for a graphical user interface, this is a finding.

Fix Text

Document the requirement for a graphical user interface with the ISSO or set the default target to multi-user with the following command: $ sudo systemctl set-default multi-user.target

Additional Identifiers

Rule ID: SV-257781r925330_rule

Vulnerability ID: V-257781

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

Expert Comments

CCIs tied to check.

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