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The Red Hat Enterprise Linux operating system must be configured so that the SSH daemon does not allow authentication using known hosts authentication.


Overview

Finding ID Version Rule ID IA Controls Severity
V-204593 RHEL-07-040380 SV-204593r603261_rule Medium
Description
Configuring this setting for the SSH daemon provides additional assurance that remote logon via SSH will require a password, even in the event of misconfiguration elsewhere.
STIG Date
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7 Security Technical Implementation Guide 2022-12-06

Details

Check Text ( C-4717r88971_chk )
Verify the SSH daemon does not allow authentication using known hosts authentication.

To determine how the SSH daemon's "IgnoreUserKnownHosts" option is set, run the following command:

# grep -i IgnoreUserKnownHosts /etc/ssh/sshd_config

IgnoreUserKnownHosts yes

If the value is returned as "no", the returned line is commented out, or no output is returned, this is a finding.
Fix Text (F-4717r88972_fix)
Configure the SSH daemon to not allow authentication using known hosts authentication.

Add the following line in "/etc/ssh/sshd_config", or uncomment the line and set the value to "yes":

IgnoreUserKnownHosts yes

The SSH service must be restarted for changes to take effect.