How do I install the Cis Cassandra41 2.1 skill?

Run npx skillmds@latest add cyberstrikeus/cis-cassandra41-2-1 in your terminal (requires Node.js), paste this page's agent-chat prompt into Claude, Cursor, or any MCP-connected agent, or download the SKILL.md file and copy it into your agent's skills directory.

What does the Cis Cassandra41 2.1 skill do?

Ensure that authentication is enabled for Cassandra databases It is listed under Coding & Dev Tools on SkillMD.

Is Cis Cassandra41 2.1 safe to use?

SkillMD's automated safety review verdict for this skill is PASS. Independent scanners report: SkillSpector: PASS, Skill Scanner: PASS. SkillMD never runs a skill's scripts for you; review the SKILL.md before installing.

Which AI agents work with Cis Cassandra41 2.1?

This skill is tagged as working with Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex. SKILL.md is an open format, so most agents that read a skills directory can load it too.

Is Cis Cassandra41 2.1 free to use?

Yes. Installing skills from SkillMD is free, and the skill stays under its author's original license.

Who published Cis Cassandra41 2.1?

cyberstrikeus (@cyberstrikeus) published this skill. Their other Agent Skills are listed on their SkillMD profile.

Cis Cassandra41 2.1 by cyberstrikeus

Name: Cis Cassandra41 2.1
Author: cyberstrikeus

File contents

2.1 Ensure that authentication is enabled for Cassandra databases

Profile Applicability

Level 1 - Cassandra on Linux

Description

Authentication is pluggable in Cassandra and is configured using the authenticator setting in cassandra.yaml. Cassandra ships with two options included in the default distribution, AllowAllAuthenticator and PasswordAuthenticator. The default, AllowAllAuthenticator, performs no authentication checks and therefore requires no credentials. It is used to disable authentication completely. The second option, PasswordAuthenticator, stores encrypted credentials in a system table. This can be used to enable simple username/password authentication.

Rationale

Authentication is a necessary condition of Cassandra's permissions subsystem, so if authentication is disabled then so are permissions. Failure to authenticate clients, users, and/or servers can allow unauthorized access to the Cassandra database and can prevent tracing actions back to their sources. The authentication mechanism should be implemented before anyone accesses the Cassandra server.

Audit

Run the following command to verify whether authentication is enabled (authenticator values set to PasswordAuthenticator) on the Cassandra server. The Cassandra configuration files can be found in the conf directory of tarballs. For packages, the configuration files will be located in /etc/cassandra.

cat cassandra.yaml | grep -in "authenticator:"

If authenticator is set to AllowAllAuthenticator, then this is a finding.

Remediation

To enable the authentication mechanism:

Stop the Cassandra database.
Modify cassandra.yaml file to modify/add entry for authenticator: set it to PasswordAuthenticator
Start the Cassandra database.

Default Value

authenticator: AllowAllAuthenticator

References

CIS Controls

v8:

16.11 Leverage Vetted Modules or Services for Application Security Components
- Leverage vetted modules or services for application security components, such as identity management, encryption, and auditing and logging. Using platform features in critical security functions will reduce developers' workload and minimize the likelihood of design or implementation errors. Modern operating systems provide effective mechanisms for identification, authentication, and authorization and make those mechanisms available to applications. Use only standardized, currently accepted, and extensively reviewed encryption algorithms. Operating systems also provide mechanisms to create and maintain secure audit logs.

v7:

14.7 Enforce Access Control to Data through Automated Tools
- Use an automated tool, such as host-based Data Loss Prevention, to enforce access controls to data even when data is copied off a system.

Profile

Level 1 | Automated

---name: cis-cassandra41-2-1description: Ensure that authentication is enabled for Cassandra databases---# 2.1 Ensure that authentication is enabled for Cassandra databases## Profile Applicability- Level 1 - Cassandra on Linux## DescriptionAuthentication is pluggable in Cassandra and is configured using the `authenticator` setting in `cassandra.yaml`. Cassandra ships with two options included in the default distribution, `AllowAllAuthenticator` and `PasswordAuthenticator`. The default, `AllowAllAuthenticator`, performs no authentication checks and therefore requires no credentials. It is used to disable authentication completely. The second option, `PasswordAuthenticator`, stores encrypted credentials in a system table. This can be used to enable simple username/password authentication.## RationaleAuthentication is a necessary condition of Cassandra's permissions subsystem, so if authentication is disabled then so are permissions. Failure to authenticate clients, users, and/or servers can allow unauthorized access to the Cassandra database and can prevent tracing actions back to their sources. The authentication mechanism should be implemented before anyone accesses the Cassandra server.## AuditRun the following command to verify whether authentication is enabled (authenticator values set to `PasswordAuthenticator`) on the Cassandra server.The Cassandra configuration files can be found in the conf directory of tarballs. For packages, the configuration files will be located in `/etc/cassandra`.```bashcat cassandra.yaml | grep -in "authenticator:"```If `authenticator` is set to `AllowAllAuthenticator`, then this is a finding.## RemediationTo enable the authentication mechanism:1. Stop the Cassandra database.2. Modify `cassandra.yaml` file to modify/add entry for authenticator: set it to `PasswordAuthenticator`3. Start the Cassandra database.## Default Value```authenticator: AllowAllAuthenticator```## References1. http://cassandra.apache.org/doc/latest/getting_started/configuring.html2. http://cassandra.apache.org/doc/latest/operating/security.html## CIS Controls**v8:**- 16.11 Leverage Vetted Modules or Services for Application Security Components - Leverage vetted modules or services for application security components, such as identity management, encryption, and auditing and logging. Using platform features in critical security functions will reduce developers' workload and minimize the likelihood of design or implementation errors. Modern operating systems provide effective mechanisms for identification, authentication, and authorization and make those mechanisms available to applications. Use only standardized, currently accepted, and extensively reviewed encryption algorithms. Operating systems also provide mechanisms to create and maintain secure audit logs.**v7:**- 14.7 Enforce Access Control to Data through Automated Tools - Use an automated tool, such as host-based Data Loss Prevention, to enforce access controls to data even when data is copied off a system.## Profile- Level 1 | Automated

Frequently asked questions

Cis Cassandra41 2.1