The graphical display manager must not be the default target on RHEL 8 unless approved.

Overview

Finding ID	Version	Rule ID	IA Controls	Severity
V-251718	RHEL-08-040321	SV-251718r809378_rule		Medium

Description
Internet services that are not required for system or application processes must not be active to decrease the attack surface of the system. Graphical display managers have a long history of security vulnerabilities and must not be used, unless approved and documented.

STIG	Date
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 Security Technical Implementation Guide	2022-09-07

Details

Check Text ( C-55155r809376_chk )
Verify that the system is configured to boot to the command line: $ systemctl get-default multi-user.target If the system default target is not set to "multi-user.target" and the Information System Security Officer (ISSO) lacks a documented requirement for a graphical user interface, this is a finding.

Fix Text (F-55109r809377_fix)
Document the requirement for a graphical user interface with the ISSO or reinstall the operating system without the graphical user interface. If reinstallation is not feasible, then continue with the following procedure: Open an SSH session and enter the following commands: $ sudo systemctl set-default multi-user.target A reboot is required for the changes to take effect.