The x86 Ctrl-Alt-Delete key sequence in RHEL 8 must be disabled if a graphical user interface is installed.
Overview
| Finding ID | Version | Rule ID | IA Controls | Severity |
| V-230530 | RHEL-08-040171 | SV-230530r1069317_rule | CCI-000366 | high |
| Description | ||||
| A locally logged-on user, who presses Ctrl-Alt-Delete, when at the console, can reboot the system. If accidentally pressed, as could happen in the case of a mixed OS environment, this can create the risk of short-term loss of availability of systems due to unintentional reboot. In a graphical user environment, risk of unintentional reboot from the Ctrl-Alt-Delete sequence is reduced because the user will be prompted before any action is taken. | ||||
| STIG | Date | |||
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 Security Technical Implementation Guide | 2025-05-14 | |||
Details
Check Text (C-230530r1069317_chk)
Verify RHEL 8 is not configured to reboot the system when Ctrl-Alt-Delete is pressed when using a graphical user interface with the following command:
This requirement assumes the use of the RHEL 8 default graphical user interface, Gnome Shell. If the system does not have any graphical user interface installed, this requirement is Not Applicable.
$ sudo grep -r logout /etc/dconf/db/local.d/*
/etc/dconf/db/local.d/00-disable-CAD:logout=''
If the "logout" key is bound to an action, is commented out, or is missing, this is a finding.
Fix Text (F-33174r568337_fix)
Configure the system to disable the Ctrl-Alt-Delete sequence when using a graphical user interface by creating or editing the /etc/dconf/db/local.d/00-disable-CAD file.
Add the setting to disable the Ctrl-Alt-Delete sequence for a graphical user interface:
[org/gnome/settings-daemon/plugins/media-keys]
logout=''
Note: The value above is set to two single quotations.
Then update the dconf settings:
$ sudo dconf update