The macOS system must be configured with the SSH daemon ClientAliveCountMax option set to 0.

Overview

Finding ID	Version	Rule ID	IA Controls	Severity
V-209547	AOSX-14-000052	SV-209547r610285_rule		Medium

Description

SSH should be configured with an Active Client Alive Maximum Count of 0. Terminating an idle session within a short time period reduces the window of opportunity for unauthorized personnel to take control of a management session enabled on the console or console port that has been left unattended. In addition, quickly terminating an idle session or an incomplete logon attempt will also free up resources committed by the managed network element.

STIG	Date
Apple OS X 10.14 (Mojave) Security Technical Implementation Guide	2021-11-19

Details

Check Text ( C-9798r282123_chk )
The SSH daemon "ClientAliveCountMax" option must be set correctly. To verify the SSH idle timeout will occur when the "ClientAliveCountMax" is set, run the following command: /usr/bin/sudo /usr/bin/grep ^ClientAliveCountMax /etc/ssh/sshd_config If the setting is not "ClientAliveCountMax 0", this is a finding.

Fix Text (F-9798r282124_fix)
To ensure that the SSH idle timeout occurs precisely when the "ClientAliveCountMax" is set, run the following command: /usr/bin/sudo /usr/bin/sed -i.bak 's/.*ClientAliveCountMax.*/ClientAliveCountMax 0/' /etc/ssh/sshd_config