The Red Hat Enterprise Linux operating system must prevent a user from overriding the session idle-delay setting for the graphical user interface.

Overview

Finding ID	Version	Rule ID	IA Controls	Severity
V-204400	RHEL-07-010082	SV-204400r880776_rule		Medium

Description
A session time-out lock is a temporary action taken when a user stops work and moves away from the immediate physical vicinity of the information system but does not log out because of the temporary nature of the absence. Rather than relying on the user to manually lock their operating system session prior to vacating the vicinity, operating systems need to be able to identify when a user's session has idled and take action to initiate the session lock. The session lock is implemented at the point where session activity can be determined and/or controlled.

Description

A session time-out lock is a temporary action taken when a user stops work and moves away from the immediate physical vicinity of the information system but does not log out because of the temporary nature of the absence. Rather than relying on the user to manually lock their operating system session prior to vacating the vicinity, operating systems need to be able to identify when a user's session has idled and take action to initiate the session lock. The session lock is implemented at the point where session activity can be determined and/or controlled.

STIG	Date
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7 Security Technical Implementation Guide	2022-12-06

Details

Check Text ( C-4524r880774_chk )
Verify the operating system prevents a user from overriding session idle delay after a 15-minute period of inactivity for graphical user interfaces. Note: If the system does not have GNOME installed, this requirement is Not Applicable. Determine which profile the system database is using with the following command: # grep system-db /etc/dconf/profile/user system-db:local Check for the session idle delay setting with the following command: Note: The example below is using the database "local" for the system, so the path is "/etc/dconf/db/local.d". This path must be modified if a database other than "local" is being used. # grep -i idle-delay /etc/dconf/db/local.d/locks/* /org/gnome/desktop/session/idle-delay If the command does not return a result, this is a finding.

Check Text ( C-4524r880774_chk )

Verify the operating system prevents a user from overriding session idle delay after a 15-minute period of inactivity for graphical user interfaces.

Note: If the system does not have GNOME installed, this requirement is Not Applicable.

Determine which profile the system database is using with the following command:
# grep system-db /etc/dconf/profile/user
system-db:local

Check for the session idle delay setting with the following command:

Note: The example below is using the database "local" for the system, so the path is "/etc/dconf/db/local.d". This path must be modified if a database other than "local" is being used.

# grep -i idle-delay /etc/dconf/db/local.d/locks/*
/org/gnome/desktop/session/idle-delay

If the command does not return a result, this is a finding.

Fix Text (F-4524r880775_fix)
Configure the operating system to prevent a user from overriding a session lock after a 15-minute period of inactivity for graphical user interfaces. Create a database to contain the system-wide screensaver settings (if it does not already exist) with the following command: Note: The example below is using the database "local" for the system, so if the system is using another database in /etc/dconf/profile/user, the file should be created under the appropriate subdirectory. # touch /etc/dconf/db/local.d/locks/session Add the setting to lock the session idle delay: /org/gnome/desktop/session/idle-delay

Fix Text (F-4524r880775_fix)

Configure the operating system to prevent a user from overriding a session lock after a 15-minute period of inactivity for graphical user interfaces.

Create a database to contain the system-wide screensaver settings (if it does not already exist) with the following command:

Note: The example below is using the database "local" for the system, so if the system is using another database in /etc/dconf/profile/user, the file should be created under the appropriate subdirectory.

# touch /etc/dconf/db/local.d/locks/session

Add the setting to lock the session idle delay:

/org/gnome/desktop/session/idle-delay