The system must require authentication upon booting into single-user and maintenance modes.

Overview

Finding ID	Version	Rule ID	IA Controls	Severity
V-756	GEN000020	SV-38318r2_rule	IAIA-1 IAIA-2	Medium

Description
Single user mode access must be strictly limited to privileged users. The ability to boot to single user mode allows a malicious user the opportunity to modify, compromise, or otherwise damage the system.

STIG	Date
HP-UX 11.31 Security Technical Implementation Guide	2018-03-01

Details

Check Text ( C-36228r2_chk )
Check the /tcb/files/auth/system/default entry. # grep “:d_boot_authenticate” /tcb/files/auth/system/default If the returned entry looks like “:d_boot_authenticate@:”, single user boot authentication is disabled, and this is a finding. For SMSE: Check the setting for BOOT_AUTH is set to N=1. # grep BOOT_AUTH /etc/default/security /var/adm/userdb/* If BOOT_AUTH=0, then single user boot authentication is disabled, and this is a finding.

Check Text ( C-36228r2_chk )

Check the /tcb/files/auth/system/default entry.
# grep “:d_boot_authenticate” /tcb/files/auth/system/default

If the returned entry looks like “:d_boot_authenticate@:”, single user boot authentication is disabled, and this is a finding.

For SMSE:
Check the setting for BOOT_AUTH is set to N=1.
# grep BOOT_AUTH /etc/default/security /var/adm/userdb/*

If BOOT_AUTH=0, then single user boot authentication is disabled, and this is a finding.

Fix Text (F-31487r2_fix)
For Trusted Mode: If single user boot authentication is disabled, use the System Administration Manager (SAM) or the System Management Homepage (SMH) to enable single user boot (for root only) authentication. For SMSE: Note: There may be additional package/bundle updates that must be installed to support attributes in the /etc/default/security file. Use the SAM/SMH interface (/etc/default/security file) and/or the userdbset command (/var/adm/userdb/* files) to update the attribute. See the below example: BOOT_AUTH=1 Note: Never use a text editor to modify any /var/adm/userdb database file. The database contains checksums and other binary data, and editors (vi included) do not follow the file locking conventions that are used to control access to the database. If manually editing the /etc/default/security file, save any change(s) before exiting the editor."

Fix Text (F-31487r2_fix)

For Trusted Mode:
If single user boot authentication is disabled, use the System Administration Manager (SAM) or the System Management Homepage (SMH) to enable single user boot (for root only) authentication.

For SMSE:
Note: There may be additional package/bundle updates that must be installed to support attributes in the /etc/default/security file.

Use the SAM/SMH interface (/etc/default/security file) and/or the userdbset command (/var/adm/userdb/* files) to update the attribute. See the below example:
BOOT_AUTH=1

Note: Never use a text editor to modify any /var/adm/userdb database file. The database contains checksums and other binary data, and editors (vi included) do not follow the file locking conventions that are used to control access to the database.

If manually editing the /etc/default/security file, save any change(s) before exiting the editor."