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RHEL 10 must not permit direct logins to the root account using remote access via Secure Shell (SSH).

Overview

Finding IDVersionRule IDIA ControlsSeverity
V-281265RHEL-10-700620SV-281265r1184765_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 and helps to minimize direct attack attempts on root's password. OpenSSH uses the first occurrence of a keyword it sees, and drop-in files are read in lexicographical order at the start of the configuration. Red Hat recommends using drop-in files rather than changing base configuration files.
STIGDate
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10 Security Technical Implementation Guide2026-03-11

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-281265r1184765_chk)

Verify RHEL 10 remote access using SSH prevents users from logging on directly as "root" with the following command: $ sudo /usr/sbin/sshd -dd 2>&1 | awk '/filename/ {print $4}' | tr -d '\r' | tr '\n' ' ' | xargs sudo grep -iH '^\s*permitrootlogin' /etc/ssh/sshd_config.d/10-stig.conf:PermitRootLogin no Verify the runtime setting with the following command: $ sudo sshd -T | grep -i permitrootlogin permitrootlogin no If the "PermitRootLogin" keyword is not set to "no" in a drop-in that lexicographically precedes 50-redhat.conf, or if no output is returned, this is a finding.

Fix Text (F-85731r1166746_fix)

Configure RHEL 10 to prevent SSH users from logging on directly as root. In "/etc/ssh/sshd_config.d", create a drop-in file that will lexicographically precede 50-redhat.conf and add the following line: PermitRootLogin no Restart the SSH daemon with the following command for the settings to take effect: $ sudo systemctl restart sshd.service