The macOS system must be configured to disable the "tftp" service.

Overview

Finding ID	Version	Rule ID	IA Controls	Severity
V-257207	APPL-13-002038	SV-257207r905254_rule		High

Description
The "tftp" service must be disabled as it sends all data in a clear-text form that can be easily intercepted and read. The data needs to be protected at all times during transmission, and encryption is the standard method for protecting data in transit. If the data is not encrypted during transmission, it can be plainly read (i.e., clear text) and easily compromised. Disabling "ftp" is one way to mitigate this risk. Administrators must be instructed to use an alternate service for data transmission that uses encryption, such as SFTP. Additionally, the "tftp" service uses UDP, which is not secure.

Description

The "tftp" service must be disabled as it sends all data in a clear-text form that can be easily intercepted and read. The data needs to be protected at all times during transmission, and encryption is the standard method for protecting data in transit. If the data is not encrypted during transmission, it can be plainly read (i.e., clear text) and easily compromised. Disabling "ftp" is one way to mitigate this risk. Administrators must be instructed to use an alternate service for data transmission that uses encryption, such as SFTP. Additionally, the "tftp" service uses UDP, which is not secure.

STIG	Date
Apple macOS 13 (Ventura) Security Technical Implementation Guide	2024-02-06

Details

Check Text ( C-60892r905252_chk )
Verify the macOS system is configured to disable the tfptd service with the following command: /bin/launchctl print-disabled system \| /usr/bin/grep com.apple.tftpd "com.apple.tftpd" => disabled If the results are not "com.apple.tftpd => disabled", this is a finding.

Fix Text (F-60833r905253_fix)
Configure the macOS system to disable the "tftpd" service with the following command: /usr/bin/sudo /bin/launchctl disable system/com.apple.tftpd The system may need to be restarted for the update to take effect.