Global settings defined in system-auth must be applied in the pam.d definition files.

From Oracle Linux 5 Security Technical Implementation Guide

Part of GEN000600-2

Associated with: CCI-000192

SV-63987r1_rule Global settings defined in system-auth must be applied in the pam.d definition files.

Vulnerability discussion

Pam global requirements are generally defined in the /etc/pam.d/system-auth or /etc/pam.d/system-auth-ac file. In order for the requirements to be applied the file containing them must be included directly or indirectly in each program's definition file in /etc/pam.d

Check content

Verify the system-auth settings are being applied. Procedure: Verify the additional pam.d requirements are in use. The file "/etc/pam.d/system-auth-ac" is auto generated by "authconfig". Any manual changes made to it will be lost next time "authconfig" is run. Check to see if the systems default of the symlink "/etc/pam.d/system-auth" pointing to "/etc/pam.d/system-auth-ac" has been changed. # ls -l /etc/pam.d/system-auth If the symlink points to "/etc/pam.d/system-auth-ac", manual changes cannot be protected. This is a finding. # grep system-auth-ac /etc/pam.d/system-auth The local system-auth file pointed to by "/etc/pam.d/system-auth" must contain "/etc/pam.d/system-auth-ac" for the auth, account, password, and session lines. If it does not then the parameters maintained by "authconfig" will not be applied, this is a finding.

Fix text

By default, the operating system delivers /etc/pam.d/system-auth as a symbolic link to /etc/pam.d/system-auth-ac (an automatically generated file). When a site adds password requirements a new system-auth-local file must be created with only the additional requirements and includes for auth, account, passwd and session pointing to "/etc/pam.d/system-auth-ac". Then the symlink "/etc/system-auth" is modified to point to "/etc/pam.d/system-auth-local". This way any changes made do not get lost when "/etc/pam.d/system-auth-ac" is regenerated and each program's pam.d definition file need only have "include system-auth" for auth, account, passwd and session, as needed, in order to assure the password requirements will be applied to it.

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