The macOS system must not use telnet.

From Apple OS X 10.13 Security Technical Implementation Guide

Part of SRG-OS-000074-GPOS-00042

Associated with: CCI-000197 CCI-000877 CCI-001453 CCI-002890 CCI-003123

SV-96357r1_rule The macOS system must not use telnet.

Vulnerability discussion

The "telnet" service must be disabled as it sends all data in a clear-text form that can be easily intercepted and read. The data needs to be protected at all times during transmission, and encryption is the standard method for protecting data in transit. If the data is not encrypted during transmission, it can be plainly read (i.e., clear text) and easily compromised. Disabling telnet is one way to mitigate this risk. Administrators should be instructed to use an alternate service for remote access sessions, non-local maintenance sessions, and diagnostic communications that uses encryption, such as SSH.Satisfies: SRG-OS-000074-GPOS-00042, SRG-OS-000125-GPOS-00065, SRG-OS-000250-GPOS-00093, SRG-OS-000393-GPOS-00173, SRG-OS-000394-GPOS-00174

Check content

To check if the "telnet" service is disabled, use the following command: /usr/bin/sudo /bin/launchctl print-disabled system | /usr/bin/grep com.apple.telnetd If the results do not show the following, this is a finding: "com.apple.telnetd" => true

Fix text

To disable the "telnet" service, run the following command: /usr/bin/sudo /bin/launchctl disable system/com.apple.telnetd The system may need to be restarted for the update to take effect.

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