The system must not permit root logins using remote access programs such as ssh.

From Oracle Linux 5 Security Technical Implementation Guide

Associated with: CCI-000770

SV-64455r1_rule The system must not permit root logins using remote access programs such as ssh.

Vulnerability discussion

Even though communications are encrypted, an additional layer of security may be gained by extending the policy of not logging directly on as root. In addition, logging in with a user-specific account preserves the audit trail.

Check content

Determine if the SSH daemon is configured to permit root logins. Procedure: # grep -v "^#" /etc/ssh/sshd_config | grep -i permitrootlogin If the PermitRootLogin entry is not found or is not set to "no", this is a finding.

Fix text

Edit the sshd_config file and set the PermitRootLogin option to "no".

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