AlmaLinux OS 9 SSH private host key files must have mode 0640 or less permissive.
Overview
| Finding ID | Version | Rule ID | IA Controls | Severity |
| V-269265 | ALMA-09-020920 | SV-269265r1050147_rule | CCI-000366 | medium |
| Description | ||||
| If an unauthorized user obtains the private SSH host key file, the host could be impersonated. | ||||
| STIG | Date | |||
| CloudLinux AlmaLinux OS 9 Security Technical Implementation Guide | 2025-05-22 | |||
Details
Check Text (C-269265r1050147_chk)
Verify the SSH private host key files have a mode of "0640" or less permissive with the following command:
$ stat -c "%#a %n" /etc/ssh/ssh_host*key
0640 /etc/ssh/ssh_host_ecdsa_key
0640 /etc/ssh/ssh_host_rsa_key
If any private host key file has a mode more permissive than "0640", this is a finding.
Fix Text (F-73197r1048172_fix)
Configure the mode of SSH private host key files under "/etc/ssh" to "0640" with the following command:
$ chmod 0640 /etc/ssh/ssh_host*key
Restart the SSH daemon for the changes to take effect:
$ systemctl restart sshd.service