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Operating systems used for non-local maintenance sessions must implement cryptographic mechanisms to protect the integrity of non-local maintenance and diagnostic communications.


Overview

Finding ID Version Rule ID IA Controls Severity
V-58373 AOSX-09-000690 SV-72803r1_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. Administrator users should be instructed to use an alternate service that implements cryptography such as SSH.
STIG Date
Apple OS X 10.9 (Mavericks) Workstation Security Technical Implementation Guide 2017-01-05

Details

Check Text ( C-59199r1_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-63689r1_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