cyberstrikeus CIS Ubuntu Linux 16.04 LTS Benchmark v2.0.0 - Control 3.2.2
Description
The net.ipv4.ip_forward and net.ipv6.conf.all.forwarding flags are used to tell the system whether it can forward packets or not.
Rationale
Setting the flags to 0 ensures that a system with multiple interfaces (for example, a hard proxy), will never be able to forward packets, and therefore, never serve as a router.
Impact
None.
Audit Procedure
Command Line
Run the following commands and verify output matches:
sysctl net.ipv4.ip_forward
grep -E -s "^\s*net\.ipv4\.ip_forward\s*=\s*1" /etc/sysctl.conf /etc/sysctl.d/*.conf /usr/lib/sysctl.d/*.conf /run/sysctl.d/*.conf
No value should be returned.
IF IPv6 is enabled:
Run the following commands and verify output matches:
sysctl net.ipv6.conf.all.forwarding
grep -E -s "^\s*net\.ipv6\.conf\.all\.forwarding\s*=\s*1" /etc/sysctl.conf /etc/sysctl.d/*.conf /usr/lib/sysctl.d/*.conf /run/sysctl.d/*.conf
No value should be returned.
OR verify IPv6 is disabled:
Run the following script. Output will confirm if IPv6 is disabled on the system.
#!/usr/bin/bash
output=""
grubfile="$(find -L /boot -name 'grub.cfg' -type f)"
[ -f "$grubfile" ] && ! grep "^\s*linux" "$grubfile" | grep -vq ipv6.disable=1 && output="ipv6 disabled in grub config"
grep -Eqs "^\s*net\.ipv6\.conf\.all\.disable_ipv6\s*=\s*1\b" /etc/sysctl.conf /etc/sysctl.d/*.conf /usr/lib/sysctl.d/*.conf /run/sysctl.d/*.conf && grep -Eqs "^\s*net\.ipv6\.conf\.default\.disable_ipv6\s*=\s*1\b" /etc/sysctl.conf /etc/sysctl.d/*.conf /usr/lib/sysctl.d/*.conf /run/sysctl.d/*.conf && sysctl net.ipv6.conf.all.disable_ipv6 | grep -Eq "^\s*net\.ipv6\.conf\.all\.disable_ipv6\s*=\s*1\b" && sysctl net.ipv6.conf.default.disable_ipv6 | grep -Eq "^\s*net\.ipv6\.conf\.default\.disable_ipv6\s*=\s*1\b" && output="ipv6 disabled in sysctl config"
[ -n "$output" ] && echo -e "\n$output" || echo -e "\n*** IPv6 is enabled on the system ***"
Expected Result
net.ipv4.ip_forward = 0
No value returned from the grep command.
For IPv6 (if enabled):
net.ipv6.conf.all.forwarding = 0
No value returned from the grep command.
Remediation
Command Line
Run the following command to restore the default parameter and set the active kernel parameter:
grep -Els "^\s*net\.ipv4\.ip_forward\s*=\s*1" /etc/sysctl.conf /etc/sysctl.d/*.conf /usr/lib/sysctl.d/*.conf /run/sysctl.d/*.conf | while read filename; do sed -ri "s/^\s*(net\.ipv4\.ip_forward\s*)(=)(\s*\S+\b).*$/# *REMOVED* \1/" $filename; done; sysctl -w net.ipv4.ip_forward=0; sysctl -w net.ipv4.route.flush=1
IF IPv6 is enabled:
Run the following command to restore the default parameter and set the active kernel parameter:
grep -Els "^\s*net\.ipv6\.conf\.all\.forwarding\s*=\s*1" /etc/sysctl.conf /etc/sysctl.d/*.conf /usr/lib/sysctl.d/*.conf /run/sysctl.d/*.conf | while read filename; do sed -ri "s/^\s*(net\.ipv6\.conf\.all\.forwarding\s*)(=)(\s*\S+\b).*$/# *REMOVED* \1/" $filename; done; sysctl -w net.ipv6.conf.all.forwarding=0; sysctl -w net.ipv6.route.flush=1
Default Value
IP forwarding is disabled (set to 0) by default.
References
- CIS Ubuntu Linux 16.04 LTS Benchmark v2.0.0
CIS Controls
Version 7
5.1 Establish Secure Configurations - Maintain documented, standard security configuration standards for all authorized operating systems and software.
Profile Applicability
- Level 1 - Server
- Level 1 - Workstation
Assessment Status
Automated