The graphical desktop environment must set the idle timeout to no more than 15 minutes.

From Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5 Security Technical Implementation Guide

Associated with IA controls: PESL-1

Associated with: CCI-000057

SV-48550r1_rule The graphical desktop environment must set the idle timeout to no more than 15 minutes.

Vulnerability discussion

If graphical desktop sessions do not lock the session after 15 minutes of inactivity, requiring re-authentication to resume operations, the system or individual data could be compromised by an alert intruder who could exploit the oversight. This requirement applies to graphical desktop environments provided by the system to locally attached displays and input devices as well as to graphical desktop environments provided to remote systems, including thin clients.

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Fix text

For the Gnome screen saver, set idle_delay to 15. Procedure: # gconftool-2 --direct --config-source xml:readwrite:/etc/gconf/gconf.xml.mandatory --type int --set /apps/gnome-screensaver/idle_delay 15

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