The Red Hat Enterprise Linux operating system must be configured so that the x86 Ctrl-Alt-Delete key sequence is disabled.

Overview

Finding ID	Version	Rule ID	IA Controls	Severity
V-71993	RHEL-07-020230	SV-86617r3_rule		High

Description
A locally logged-on user who presses Ctrl-Alt-Delete, when at the console, can reboot the system. If accidentally pressed, as could happen in the case of a mixed OS environment, this can create the risk of short-term loss of availability of systems due to unintentional reboot. In the GNOME graphical environment, risk of unintentional reboot from the Ctrl-Alt-Delete sequence is reduced because the user will be prompted before any action is taken.

Description

A locally logged-on user who presses Ctrl-Alt-Delete, when at the console, can reboot the system. If accidentally pressed, as could happen in the case of a mixed OS environment, this can create the risk of short-term loss of availability of systems due to unintentional reboot. In the GNOME graphical environment, risk of unintentional reboot from the Ctrl-Alt-Delete sequence is reduced because the user will be prompted before any action is taken.

STIG	Date
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7 Security Technical Implementation Guide	2018-11-28

Details

Check Text ( C-72225r3_chk )
Verify the operating system is not configured to reboot the system when Ctrl-Alt-Delete is pressed. Check that the ctrl.alt.del.target is masked and not active with the following command: # systemctl status ctrl.alt.del.target ctrl-alt-del.target Loaded: masked (/dev/null; bad) Active: inactive (dead) If the ctrl.alt.del.target is not masked, this is a finding. If the ctrl.alt.del.target is active, this is a finding.

Check Text ( C-72225r3_chk )

Verify the operating system is not configured to reboot the system when Ctrl-Alt-Delete is pressed.

Check that the ctrl.alt.del.target is masked and not active with the following command:

# systemctl status ctrl.alt.del.target

ctrl-alt-del.target
Loaded: masked (/dev/null; bad)
Active: inactive (dead)

If the ctrl.alt.del.target is not masked, this is a finding.

If the ctrl.alt.del.target is active, this is a finding.

Fix Text (F-78345r5_fix)
Configure the system to disable the Ctrl-Alt_Delete sequence for the command line with the following command: # systemctl mask ctrl-alt-del.target If GNOME is active on the system, create a database to contain the system-wide setting (if it does not already exist) with the following command: # touch /etc/dconf/db/local.d/00-disable-CAD Add the setting to disable the Ctrl-Alt_Delete sequence for GNOME: [org/gnome/settings-daemon/plugins/media-keys] logout=''

Fix Text (F-78345r5_fix)

Configure the system to disable the Ctrl-Alt_Delete sequence for the command line with the following command:

# systemctl mask ctrl-alt-del.target

If GNOME is active on the system, create a database to contain the system-wide setting (if it does not already exist) with the following command:

# touch /etc/dconf/db/local.d/00-disable-CAD

Add the setting to disable the Ctrl-Alt_Delete sequence for GNOME:

[org/gnome/settings-daemon/plugins/media-keys]
logout=''