RHEL 10 must disable the debug-shell systemd service.
Overview
| Finding ID | Version | Rule ID | IA Controls | Severity |
| V-280094 | RHEL-10-700970 | SV-280094r1184607_rule | CCI-002235 | medium |
| Description | ||||
| The debug-shell requires no authentication and provides root privileges to anyone who has physical access to the machine. While this feature is disabled by default, masking it adds an additional layer of assurance that it will not be enabled via a dependency in systemd. This also prevents attackers with physical access from trivially bypassing security on the machine through valid troubleshooting configurations and gaining root access when the system is rebooted. | ||||
| STIG | Date | |||
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10 Security Technical Implementation Guide | 2026-03-11 | |||
Details
Check Text (C-280094r1184607_chk)
Verify RHEL 10 is configured to mask the debug-shell systemd service with the following command:
$ sudo systemctl status debug-shell.service
o debug-shell.service
Loaded: masked (Reason: Unit debug-shell.service is masked.)
Active: inactive (dead)
If the "debug-shell.service" is loaded and not masked, this is a finding.
Fix Text (F-84560r1158920_fix)
Configure RHEL 10 to mask the debug-shell systemd service with the following command:
$ sudo systemctl disable --now debug-shell.service
$ sudo systemctl mask --now debug-shell.service