The system clock must be synchronized continuously, or at least daily.

Overview

Finding ID	Version	Rule ID	IA Controls	Severity
V-38620	RHEL-06-000247	SV-50421r1_rule		Medium

Description
Enabling the "ntpd" service ensures that the "ntpd" service will be running and that the system will synchronize its time to any servers specified. This is important whether the system is configured to be a client (and synchronize only its own clock) or it is also acting as an NTP server to other systems. Synchronizing time is essential for authentication services such as Kerberos, but it is also important for maintaining accurate logs and auditing possible security breaches.

Description

Enabling the "ntpd" service ensures that the "ntpd" service will be running and that the system will synchronize its time to any servers specified. This is important whether the system is configured to be a client (and synchronize only its own clock) or it is also acting as an NTP server to other systems. Synchronizing time is essential for authentication services such as Kerberos, but it is also important for maintaining accurate logs and auditing possible security breaches.

STIG	Date
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6 Security Technical Implementation Guide	2015-05-26

Details

Check Text ( C-46178r1_chk )
Run the following command to determine the current status of the "ntpd" service: # service ntpd status If the service is enabled, it should return the following: ntpd is running... If the service is not running, this is a finding.

Fix Text (F-43568r1_fix)
The "ntpd" service can be enabled with the following command: # chkconfig ntpd on # service ntpd start