The x86 Ctrl-Alt-Delete key sequence must be disabled on RHEL 9.
Overview
| Finding ID | Version | Rule ID | IA Controls | Severity |
| V-257785 | RHEL-09-211050 | SV-257785r1044833_rule | CCI-002235 | 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. Satisfies: SRG-OS-000324-GPOS-00125, SRG-OS-000480-GPOS-00227 | ||||
| STIG | Date | |||
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9 Security Technical Implementation Guide | 2025-05-14 | |||
Details
Check Text (C-257785r1044833_chk)
Verify RHEL 9 is not configured to reboot the system when Ctrl-Alt-Delete is pressed with the following command:
$ sudo systemctl status ctrl-alt-del.target
ctrl-alt-del.target
Loaded: masked (Reason: Unit ctrl-alt-del.target is masked.)
Active: inactive (dead)
If the "ctrl-alt-del.target" is loaded and not masked, this is a finding.
Fix Text (F-61450r925341_fix)
Configure RHEL 9 to disable the ctrl-alt-del.target with the following command:
$ sudo systemctl disable --now ctrl-alt-del.target
$ sudo systemctl mask --now ctrl-alt-del.target