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AlmaLinux OS 9 must not permit direct logons to the root account using remote access via SSH.

Overview

Finding IDVersionRule IDIA ControlsSeverity
V-269376ALMA-09-034780SV-269376r1050259_ruleCCI-004045medium
Description
Even though the communications channel may be encrypted, an additional layer of security is gained by extending the policy of not logging directly on as root. In addition, logging in with a user-specific account provides individual accountability of actions performed on the system. The root account is a known default username, so should not allow direct login as half of the username/password combination is known, making it vulnerable to brute-force password guessing attacks.
STIGDate
Cloud Linux AlmaLinux OS 9 Security Technical Implementation Guide2026-02-27

Related Frameworks

1 mapping across 3 frameworks
SCF0 mappings

No source states a mapping between these directly.

Also reachable in 3 hops (1) derived by us, not asserted by any source

Each of these is a route we composed by chaining published mappings. No publisher states a relationship between the two endpoints.

IAC-02.1Group Authentication
1.00
NIST 800-530 mappings

No source states a mapping between these directly.

Also reachable in 2 hops (70) derived by us, not asserted by any source

Each of these is a route we composed by chaining published mappings. No publisher states a relationship between the two endpoints.

AC-10Concurrent Session Control
1.00
AC-12Session Termination
1.00
AC-17(10)Authenticate Remote Commands
1.00
AC-2(1)Automated System Account Management
1.00
AC-2(10)Shared and Group Account Credential Change
1.00
AC-2(11)Usage Conditions
1.00
AC-2(2)Automated Temporary and Emergency Account Management
1.00
AC-2(3)Disable Accounts
1.00
AC-2(4)Automated Audit Actions
1.00
AC-3Access Enforcement
1.00

+60 more (top 10 by confidence shown)

CCI1 mapping
CCI-004045
1.00

Details

Check Text (C-269376r1050259_chk)

Verify AlmaLinux OS 9 prevents users from logging on directly as "root" over SSH with the following command: $ sshd -T |grep -I permitrootlogin permitrootlogin no If the "PermitRootLogin" keyword is set to "yes" or "without-password", this is a finding.

Fix Text (F-73308r1048505_fix)

To configure the system to prevent users from logging on directly as root over SSH, add or modify the following line in "/etc/ssh/sshd_config": PermitRootLogin no Alternatively, add the setting to an include file if the line "Include /etc/ssh/sshd_config.d/*.conf" is found at the top of the "/etc/ssh/sshd_config" file: $ echo "PermitRootLogin no" > /etc/ssh/sshd_config.d/root.conf Restart the SSH daemon for the settings to take effect: $ systemctl restart sshd.service