Title

The system must restrict the ability to switch to the root user to members of a defined group. (Cat III impact)

Discussion

Configuring a supplemental group for users permitted to switch to the root user prevents unauthorized users from accessing the root account, even with knowledge of the root credentials.

Check Content

Verify the root user is configured as a role, rather than a normal user. # egrep '^root:' /etc/user_attr If the returned line does not include "type=role", this is a finding. Verify at least one local user has been assigned the root role. # egrep '[:;]roles=[^;]*,?root([,;]|$)' /etc/user_attr If no lines are returned, no users are permitted to assume the root role, this is a finding.

Fix Text

Convert the root user into a role. # usermod -K type=role root Add the root role to authorized users' logins. # usermod -R root <userid>

Additional Identifiers

Rule ID: SV-226470r603265_rule

Vulnerability ID: V-226470

Group Title: SRG-OS-000109

Expert Comments

CCIs tied to check.

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