RHEL 10 must not default to the graphical display manager unless approved.
Overview
| Finding ID | Version | Rule ID | IA Controls | Severity |
| V-281297 | RHEL-10-700940 | SV-281297r1166843_rule | CCI-000381 | medium |
| Description | ||||
| Unnecessary service packages must not be installed to decrease the attack surface of the system. Graphical display managers have a long history of security vulnerabilities and must not be used unless approved and documented. | ||||
| STIG | Date | |||
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10 Security Technical Implementation Guide | 2026-03-11 | |||
Details
Check Text (C-281297r1166843_chk)
Verify RHEL 10 is configured to boot to the command line with the following command:
$ systemctl get-default
multi-user.target
If the system default target is not set to "multi-user.target", and the information system security officer lacks a documented requirement for a graphical user interface, this is a finding.
Fix Text (F-85763r1166842_fix)
Configure RHEL 10 to boot to the command line by setting the default target to "multi-user" with the following command:
$ sudo systemctl set-default multi-user.target