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RHEL 8 must ignore IPv6 Internet Control Message Protocol (ICMP) redirect messages.


Overview

Finding ID Version Rule ID IA Controls Severity
V-230544 RHEL-08-040280 SV-230544r858820_rule Medium
Description
ICMP redirect messages are used by routers to inform hosts that a more direct route exists for a particular destination. These messages modify the host's route table and are unauthenticated. An illicit ICMP redirect message could result in a man-in-the-middle attack. The sysctl --system command will load settings from all system configuration files. All configuration files are sorted by their filename in lexicographic order, regardless of which of the directories they reside in. If multiple files specify the same option, the entry in the file with the lexicographically latest name will take precedence. Files are read from directories in the following list from top to bottom. Once a file of a given filename is loaded, any file of the same name in subsequent directories is ignored. /etc/sysctl.d/*.conf /run/sysctl.d/*.conf /usr/local/lib/sysctl.d/*.conf /usr/lib/sysctl.d/*.conf /lib/sysctl.d/*.conf /etc/sysctl.conf
STIG Date
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 Security Technical Implementation Guide 2022-12-06

Details

Check Text ( C-33213r833356_chk )
Verify RHEL 8 ignores IPv6 ICMP redirect messages.

Note: If IPv6 is disabled on the system, this requirement is Not Applicable.

Check the value of the "accept_redirects" variables with the following command:

$ sudo sysctl net.ipv6.conf.all.accept_redirects

net.ipv6.conf.all.accept_redirects = 0

If the returned line does not have a value of "0", a line is not returned, or the line is commented out, this is a finding.

Check that the configuration files are present to enable this network parameter.

$ sudo grep -r net.ipv6.conf.all.accept_redirects /run/sysctl.d/*.conf /usr/local/lib/sysctl.d/*.conf /usr/lib/sysctl.d/*.conf /lib/sysctl.d/*.conf /etc/sysctl.conf /etc/sysctl.d/*.conf

/etc/sysctl.d/99-sysctl.conf: net.ipv6.conf.all.accept_redirects = 0

If "net.ipv6.conf.all.accept_redirects" is not set to "0", is missing or commented out, this is a finding.

If conflicting results are returned, this is a finding.
Fix Text (F-33188r858819_fix)
Configure RHEL 8 to ignore IPv6 ICMP redirect messages.

Add or edit the following line in a system configuration file, in the "/etc/sysctl.d/" directory:

net.ipv6.conf.all.accept_redirects = 0

Remove any configurations that conflict with the above from the following locations:
/run/sysctl.d/*.conf
/usr/local/lib/sysctl.d/*.conf
/usr/lib/sysctl.d/*.conf
/lib/sysctl.d/*.conf
/etc/sysctl.conf
/etc/sysctl.d/*.conf

Load settings from all system configuration files with the following command:

$ sudo sysctl --system