cyberstrikeus 3.4 Require Authentication for Single-User Mode (Scored)
Profile Applicability
- Level 1
Description
Setting a password for the root user will force authentication in single user mode.
Rationale
Requiring authentication in single user mode prevents an unauthorized user from rebooting the system into single user to gain root privileges without credentials.
Audit Procedure
Using Command Line
Perform the following to determine if a password is set for the root user:
grep ^root:[*\!]: /etc/shadow
Expected Result
No results should be returned. If a result is returned, the root account does not have a password set.
Remediation
Using Command Line
Run the following command and follow the prompts to set a password for the root user:
passwd root
Default Value
By default, the root account may or may not have a password set depending on installation choices.
References
- CIS Ubuntu 12.04 LTS Server Benchmark v1.1.0
Profile
Level 1 - Scored