The operating system must implement cryptography to protect the integrity of remote access sessions.

Overview

Finding ID	Version	Rule ID	IA Controls	Severity
V-58261	AOSX-09-000040	SV-72691r1_rule		High

Description
The telnet service must be disabled, as it sends all data, including the user's password, in a clear text form that can be easily intercepted and read. Passwords need to be protected at all times and encryption is the standard method for protecting passwords. If passwords are not encrypted, they can be plainly read (i.e., clear text) and easily compromised. Disabling telnet is one way to mitigate this risk. Authorized users should be instructed to use an alternate service that implements cryptography for remote access sessions, such as SSH.

Description

The telnet service must be disabled, as it sends all data, including the user's password, in a clear text form that can be easily intercepted and read. Passwords need to be protected at all times and encryption is the standard method for protecting passwords. If passwords are not encrypted, they can be plainly read (i.e., clear text) and easily compromised. Disabling telnet is one way to mitigate this risk. Authorized users should be instructed to use an alternate service that implements cryptography for remote access sessions, such as SSH.

STIG	Date
Apple OS X 10.9 (Mavericks) Workstation Security Technical Implementation Guide	2017-01-05

Details

Check Text ( C-59085r1_chk )
The service 'telnet' should be disabled, to check the status of the service, run the following command: sudo /usr/libexec/PlistBuddy -c 'print com.apple.telnetd:Disabled' /var/db/launchd.db/com.apple.launchd/overrides.plist If the returned value isn't 'true' or doesn't exist, this is a finding.

Fix Text (F-63575r1_fix)
To set the telnet service to disabled, run the following command: sudo defaults write /private/var/db/launchd.db/com.apple.launchd/overrides.plist 'com.apple.telnetd' -dict Disabled -bool true