Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7 Hardening Checklist

security.utexas.edu/os-hardening-checklist/linux-7

The hardening checklists are based on the comprehensive checklists produced by CIS.
The Information Security Office has distilled the CIS lists down to the most critical steps for
your systems, with a particular focus on configuration issues that are unique to the
computing environment at The University of Texas at Austin.

How to use the checklist

Print the checklist and check off each item you complete to ensure that you cover the critical
steps for securing your server. The Information Security Office uses this checklist during risk
assessments as part of the process to verify that servers are secure.

How to read the checklist

Step - The step number in the procedure. If there is a UT Note for this step, the note
number corresponds to the step number.
Check (√) - This is for administrators to check off when she/he completes this portion.
To Do - Basic instructions on what to do to harden the respective system
CIS - Reference number in the Center for Internet Security Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7
Benchmark v1.1.0. The CIS document outlines in much greater detail how to complete each
step.
UT Note - The UT Note at the bottom of the page provides additional detail about the step
for the university computing environment.
Cat I - For systems that include Category-I data , required steps are denoted with
the ! symbol. All steps are recommended.
Cat II/III - For systems that include Category-II or -III data , all steps are recommended, and
some are required (denoted by the !).
Min Std - This column links to the specific requirement for the university in the Minimum
Security Standards for Systems document.

Server Information

MAC Address

IP Address

Machine Name

Asset Tag

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 Administrator Name

Date

Server Information

Checklist

UT Cat Cat Min

Step √ To Do CIS Note I II/III Std

Preparation and
Installation

1 If machine is a new install, § ! ! 4.5.1

protect it from hostile
network traffic, until the
operating system is installed
and hardened.

2 Set a BIOS/firmware ! 4.5.1

password.

3 Configure the device boot

order to prevent
unauthorized booting from
alternate media.

4 Use the latest version of 1,7 ! ! 4.5.2

RHEL possible.

Filesystem Configuration

5 Create a separate partition 1.1.1-.4 §

with the nodev, nosuid, and
noexec options set for /tmp

6 Create separate partitions 1.1.|LF|5,7,8,9|RF| §

for /var, /var/log,
/var/log/audit, and /home

7 Bind mount /var/tmp to /tmp 1.1.6

8 Set nodev option to /home 1.1.10

9 Set nodev, nosuid, and 1.1.14-.16

noexec options on /dev/shm

10 Set sticky bit on all world- 1.1.17

writable directories.

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 UT Cat Cat Min
Step √ To Do CIS Note I II/III Std

System Updates

11 Register with Red Hat 1.2.1 § ! ! 4.5.2

Satellite Server so that the
system can receive patch
updates.

12 Install the Red Hat GPG key 1.2.2-.3

and enable gpgcheck.

Secure Boot Settings

13 Set user/group owner to 1.5.1-.2 §

root, and permissions to
read and write for root only,
on /boot/grub2/grub.cfg

14 Set boot loader password. 1.5.3

15 Remove the X window 3.2 §

system.

16 Disable X font server.

Process Hardening

17 Restrict core dumps. 1.6.1 §

18 Enable randomized virtual 1.6.2 § !

memory region placement.

OS Hardening

19 Remove legacy services 2.1.|LF|1,3-10|RF| ! !

(e.g., telnet-server; rsh,
rlogin, rcp; ypserv, ypbind;
tftp, tftp-server; talk, talk-
server).

20 Disable any services and § ! ! 4.5.4

applications started by xinetd
or inetd that are not being
utilized.

21 Remove xinetd, if possible. 2.1.11 § !

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 UT Cat Cat Min
Step √ To Do CIS Note I II/III Std

22 Disable legacy services 2.1.|LF|12-18|RF| ! !

(e.g., chargen-dgram,
chargen-stream, daytime-
dgram, daytime-stream,
echo-dgram, echo-stream,
tcpmux-server).

23 Disable or remove server ! 4.5.4

services that are not going to
be utilized (e.g., FTP, DNS,
LDAP, SMB, DHCP, NFS,
SNMP, etc.).

24 Set daemon umask. 3.1

Network Security and

Firewall Configuration

25 Limit connections to services 4.7 § ! ! 4.5.5

running on the host to
authorized users of the
service via firewalls and
other access control
technologies.

26 Disable IP forwarding. 4.1.1

27 Disable send packet 4.1.2

redirects.

28 Disable source routed 4.2.1

packet acceptance.

29 Disable ICMP redirect 4.2.2

acceptance.

30 Enable ignore broadcast 4.2.5

requests.

31 Enable bad error message 4.2.6

protection.

32 Enable TCP/SYN cookies. 4.2.8

Remote Administration Via

SSH

33 Set SSH protocol to 2. 6.2.1 § ! ! 4.5.6

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 UT Cat Cat Min
Step √ To Do CIS Note I II/III Std

34 Set SSH loglevel to INFO. 6.2.2 § ! !

35 Disable SSH root login. 6.2.8 §

36 Set SSH 6.2.9 ! !

permitemptypasswords to
no.

System Integrity and

Intrusion Detection

37 Install and configure AIDE. 1.3.1-.2 § 4.5.8

38 Configure selinux. 1.4.1-.6 §

39 Install and configure OSsec §

HIDS.

40 Configure network time 3.6 § !

protocol (NTP).

41 Enable system accounting 5.2 § ! 4.6.1

(auditd).

42 Install and configure rsyslog. 5.1.1-.4 § !

43 All administrator or root ! 4.6.4

access must be logged.

44 Configure log shipping to 5.1.5 §

separate device/service (e.g.
Splunk).

Files/Directory
Permissions/Access

45 Integrity checking of system § ! 4.5.9

accounts, group
memberships, and their
associated privileges should
be enabled and tested.

PAM Configuration

46 Ensure that the configuration 6.3 § ! ! 4.5.12

files for PAM, /etc/pam.d/*
are secure.

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 UT Cat Cat Min
Step √ To Do CIS Note I II/III Std

47 Upgrade password hashing 6.3.1 !

algorithm to SHA-512.

48 Set password creation 6.3.2 § ! !

requirements.

49 Restrict root login to system 6.4 §

console.

Warning Banners

50 If network or physical access 6.2.14, 8.1 § ! ! 4.5.10

services are running, ensure
the university warning
banner is displayed.

51 If the system allows logins 8.3 § !

via a graphical user
interface, ensure the
university warning banner is
displayed prior to login.

Anti-Virus Considerations

52 Install and enable anti-virus § 4.3.1

software.

53 Configure to update § 4.3.3

signature daily on AV.

Additional Security Notes

54 Systems will provide secure

storage for Confidential
(Category-I) University Data
as required. Security can be
provided by means such as,
but not limited to, encryption,
access controls, filesystem
audits, physically securing
the storage media, or any
combination thereof as
deemed appropriate.

Checklist

UT Note: Addendum

6/13
This list provides specific tasks related to the computing environment at The University of
Texas at Austin.

1 If other alternatives are unavailable, this can be accomplished by installing a SOHO

router/firewall in between the network and the host to be protected.

5 Since /tmp is intended to be world writable, creating a separate partition for it can
prevent resource exhaustion. Setting nodev prevents users from creating or using block
or special character devices. Setting noexec prevents users from running binary
executables from /tmp. Setting nosuid prevents users from creating set userid files in
/tmp.

6 Multiple partitions are recommended to protect against resource exhaustion conditions if

a partition fills up, as well as to allow for the setting of various options on individual
partitions to support increased security (e.g. nodev, nosuid, noexec).

11 Install and use the yum-security plugin.

To install the plugin run:

yum install yum-security

To list all updates that are security relevant, and get a reutrn code on whether there are
security updates use:

yum --security check-update

To apply updates that are security relevant use:

yum --security update

13 Setting user/group ownership to root and file permissions to read and write only for root
is recommended to prevent non-root users from viewing or changing the boot
parameters.

15 A simple way to disable the GUI is to change the default run level. Edit the file
/etc/inittab. Look for the line that contains the following:

id:5:initdefault:

Replace the "5" with "3". The line will then read:

id:3:initdefault:

17 Core dumps are intended to help determine why a program aborted. They may contain
sensitive or confidential data from memory. It is recommended that core dumps be
disabled or restricted. The system should be configured to prevent setuid programs from
creating core dumps.

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18 Add the following line to the /etc/sysctl.conf file:

kernel.randomize_va_space = 2

20 Disable any xinetd services you do not absolutely require by setting "disable=yes" in
/etc/xinetd.d/*.

Configure TCP wrappers for access control.

Edit /etc/hosts.deny to include this entry as the first uncommented line in the file:
ALL:ALL
Ensure /etc/hosts.allow is edited appropriately to allow the administrator(s) to connect.
Verify that you have disabled any unnecessary startup scripts under /etc, /etc/rc*.d, or
/etc/init.d (or startup script directory for your system) and disabled any unneeded
services from starting in these scripts.

Unnecessary services can be disabled with:

$ sudo chkconfig off

To check what services are listening use:

$ lsof \| grep '*:' 

or

$ sudo netstat \--tulp

Much more detailed information regarding services is available in the CIS benchmark
documents.

Red Hat also provides a text-based interface for changing startup services: ntsysv

For example, the command

ntsysv \--level 345

configures runlevels 3, 4, and 5.

21 If no xinetd services are required, disable xinetd altogether:

sudo service xinetd stop; sudo chkconfig xinetd off

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25 RHEL7 comes with firewalld, however iptables may be installed and used instead. This
is documented at: https://access.redhat.com/documentation/en-
US/Red_Hat_Enterprise_Linux/7/html/Security_Guide/sec-Using_Firewalls.html

Below is a list of some iptables resources:

http://firehol.sourceforge.net
http://sourceforge.net/projects/fwbuilder
http://www.simonzone.com/software/guarddog

33 If you decide to utilize SSH, the ISO highly recommends the following:

Change the port from port 22 to something/anything else. There are scripts online
that malicious hackers can use against an SSH server. These scripts almost
always only attack port 22 since most people do not change the default port.
Use SSH2 (by setting Protocol 2 in the sshd_config file) as it remediates many
vulnerabilities from SSH1.
Restrict access to the SSH port using a hardware or software firewall.
If possible, use keys with passphrase instead of just passwords. To create rsa
keys, follow these commands:
ssh-keygen \--t rsa

ssh server "mkdir .ssh; chmod 0700 .ssh"

scp ./ssh/ida_rsa.pub server:.ssh/authorized_keys2

The CIS Solaris Benchmark covers some suggested basic settings to place in the
configuration file.
You may also want to visit the SSL Web site.

34 INFO is a basic logging level that will capture user login and logout activity. Other
logging levels may be used, but may generate more noise. The DEBUG logging level is
not recommended for production servers.

35 Do not permit root logins via SSH. If root access over SSH is absolutely necessary,
require administrators to authenticate with an individual account first and then use su or
sudo. This is to prevent remote brute force attacks against the root user account as well
as to create an audit trail of administrative activity in the event of a compromise.

37 There is a license fee for Tripwire. The Tripwire management console can be very
helpful for managing more complex installations.
AIDE is a free tool available from SourceForge.
SamHain is another free tool, as is OSSEC HIDS.

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38 Many resources exist for understanding and configuring SELinux:

http://www.selinuxproject.org/page/Main_Page
https://access.redhat.com/documentation/en-
US/Red_Hat_Enterprise_Linux/7/html/SELinux_Users_and_Administrators_Guide/

SELinux is enabled by default with RHEL systems and should not be disabled unless
absolutely necessary.

39 OSSEC is a free, open-source host-based intrusion detection system, which performs

log analysis, file integrity checking, and rootkit detection, with real time alerting, in an
effort to identify malicious activity. It is available at http://www.ossec.net/.

40 ITS Networking operates two stratum 2 NTPv4 (NTP version 4) servers for network time
synchronization services for university network administrators.

41 Auditd monitors various system activity, such as system logins, authentications, account
modifications, and SELinux denials. These records may help administrators identify
malicious activity or unauthorized access.

42 Rsyslog is a third-party package which is intended to replace the standard syslog

daemon. The CIS benchmark has several recommendations for configuring rsyslog.
Some benefits of rsyslog include transmission of logs over TCP and support for
encryption of log data when transmitting over a network.

44 It is highly recommended that logs are shipped from any Category I devices to a service
like Splunk, which provides log aggregation, processing, and real-time monitoring of
events among many other things. This helps to ensure that logs are preserved and
unaltered in the event of a compromise, in addition to allowing proactive log analysis of
multiple devices.
Splunk licenses are available through ITS at no charge. ITS also maintains a centrally-
managed Splunk service that may be leveraged.

45 Check in /etc/sudoers to see who has sudo rights

Check in /etc/groups to see what groups your users belong to
Check in /etc/passwd and/or /etc/shadow for blank passwords
Check the strength of users' passwords with tools such as John the Ripper
Seek approval from IT Owner. Consider using a simple dictionary for easily
guessed passwords.
Develop a procedure to report and remediate easily guessed passwords.

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46 Ensure the following are set in /etc/pam.d/other:

auth required pam_deny.so

auth required pam_warn.so
account required pam_deny.so
account required pam_warn.so
password required pam_deny.so
password required pam_warn.so
session required pam_deny.so
session required pam_warn.so
session required pam_deny.so

Warn will report alerts to syslog.

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48 To require strong passwords, in compliance with section 5.18 of the Information
Resources Use and Security Policy:

For RHEL 6:

In /etc/pam.d/system-auth, add or change the file as required to read:

password required pam_cracklib.so

retry=3 difok=5 minlen=8 lcredit=-1 dcredit=-1 ocredit=-1

password sufficient pam_unix.so sha512 shadow nullok try_first_pass

use_authtok remember=10

password required pam_deny.so

password required pam_warn.so

For RHEL 7:

In /etc/security/pwquality.conf, add:

difok = 5

minlen = 8

minclass = 1

maxrepeat = 0

maxclassrepeat = 0

lcredit = -1

ucredit = 0

dcredit = -1

ocredit = -1

gecoscheck = 1

In /etc/pam.d/system-auth, add or change the file as required to read:

password required pam_pwquality.so try_first_pass local_users_only

retry=3 authtok_type=

password sufficient pam_unix.so sha512 shadow try_first_pass use_authtok

remember=10

password required pam_deny.so

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49 Ensure that the terminal security file (for example, /etc/securetty or /etc/ttys) is
configured to deny privileged (root) access. On a Red Hat box, this means that no
virtual devices (such as /dev/pty*) appear in this file.

50 The text of the university's official warning banner can be found on the ITS Web site.
You may add localized information to the banner as long as the university banner is
included.

51 The text of the university's official warning banner can be found on the ITS Web site.
You may add localized information to the banner as long as the university banner is
included.

52 There are few viruses that infect Linux computers; therefore, it is understandable for
most Linux servers to have an exception to this rule. See the Operations Manual for
information on the exception process.

You may choose any proven anti-virus product. One option is ClamAV.

53 There are few viruses that infect Linux computers; therefore, it is understandable for
most Linux servers to have an exception to this rule. See the Operations Manual for
information on the exception process.

54 There are a variety of methods available to provide encrypted storage. Two good
candidates are LUKS and GNUPG (free).

UT Note: Addendum

13/13