cyberstrikeus 2.1.1 Ensure chargen services are not enabled (Scored)
Profile Applicability
- Level 1 - Server
- Level 1 - Workstation
Description
chargen is a network service that responds with 0 to 512 ASCII characters for each connection it receives. This service is intended for debugging and testing purposes. It is recommended that this service be disabled.
Rationale
Disabling this service will reduce the remote attack surface of the system.
Audit Procedure
Verify the chargen service is not enabled. Run the following command and verify results are as indicated:
grep -R "^chargen" /etc/inetd.*
No results should be returned.
Check /etc/xinetd.conf and /etc/xinetd.d/* and verify all chargen services have disable = yes set.
Expected Result
No output should be returned from the grep command. All chargen services in xinetd should have disable = yes.
Remediation
Comment out or remove any lines starting with chargen from /etc/inetd.conf and /etc/inetd.d/*.
Set disable = yes on all chargen services in /etc/xinetd.conf and /etc/xinetd.d/*.
Default Value
chargen services are not enabled by default.
References
- CIS Controls: 9.1 Limit Open Ports, Protocols, and Services
Profile
- Level 1 - Server
- Level 1 - Workstation