The system boot loader must protect passwords using an MD5 or stronger cryptographic hash.

Overview

Finding ID	Version	Rule ID	IA Controls	Severity
V-24624	GEN008710	SV-37938r1_rule	IAIA-1 IAIA-2	Medium

Description
If system boot loader passwords are compromised, users with console access to the system may be able to alter the system boot configuration or boot the system into single user or maintenance mode, which could result in Denial of Service or unauthorized privileged access to the system.

STIG	Date
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5 Security Technical Implementation Guide	2017-03-01

Details

Check Text ( C-37206r2_chk )
Check GRUB for password configuration. Procedure: Check the /boot/grub/grub.conf or /boot/grub/menu.lst files. # grep "password" /boot/grub/grub.conf /boot/grub/menu.lst Check for a password configuration line, such as: password --md5 If the boot loader passwords are not protected using an MD5 hash or stronger, this is a finding.

Fix Text (F-27516r1_fix)
Consult vendor documentation for procedures concerning the system's boot loader. Configure the boot loader to hash boot loader passwords using MD5 or a stronger hash.