The Red Hat Enterprise Linux operating system must not permit direct logons to the root account using remote access via SSH.

Overview

Finding ID	Version	Rule ID	IA Controls	Severity
V-204592	RHEL-07-040370	SV-204592r603261_rule		Medium

Description
Even though the communications channel may be encrypted, an additional layer of security is gained by extending the policy of not logging on directly as root. In addition, logging on with a user-specific account provides individual accountability of actions performed on the system.

STIG	Date
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7 Security Technical Implementation Guide	2020-12-08

Details

Check Text ( C-4716r88968_chk )
Verify remote access using SSH prevents users from logging on directly as root. Check that SSH prevents users from logging on directly as root with the following command: # grep -i permitrootlogin /etc/ssh/sshd_config PermitRootLogin no If the "PermitRootLogin" keyword is set to "yes", is missing, or is commented out, this is a finding.

Fix Text (F-4716r88969_fix)
Configure SSH to stop users from logging on remotely as the root user. Edit the appropriate "/etc/ssh/sshd_config" file to uncomment or add the line for the "PermitRootLogin" keyword and set its value to "no" (this file may be named differently or be in a different location if using a version of SSH that is provided by a third-party vendor): PermitRootLogin no The SSH service must be restarted for changes to take effect.

Fix Text (F-4716r88969_fix)

Configure SSH to stop users from logging on remotely as the root user.

Edit the appropriate "/etc/ssh/sshd_config" file to uncomment or add the line for the "PermitRootLogin" keyword and set its value to "no" (this file may be named differently or be in a different location if using a version of SSH that is provided by a third-party vendor):

PermitRootLogin no

The SSH service must be restarted for changes to take effect.