SLEM 5 with Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI) implemented must require authentication upon booting into single-user mode and maintenance.
Overview
| Finding ID | Version | Rule ID | IA Controls | Severity |
| V-261268 | SLEM-05-212015 | SV-261268r996298_rule | CCI-000213 | high |
| Description | ||||
| If the system allows a user to boot into single-user or maintenance mode without authentication, any user that invokes single-user or maintenance mode is granted privileged access to all system information. | ||||
| STIG | Date | |||
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Micro (SLEM) 5 Security Technical Implementation Guide | 2025-05-08 | |||
Details
Check Text (C-261268r996298_chk)
Note: If the system does not use UEFI, this requirement is not applicable.
Verify that SLEM 5 has set an encrypted root password with the following command:
> sudo cat /boot/efi/EFI/BOOT/grub.cfg | grep -i password
password_pbkdf2 root grub.pbkdf2.sha512.10000.03255F190F0E2F7B4F0D1C3216012309162F022A7A636771
If the root password entry does not begin with "password_pbkdf2", this is a finding.
Fix Text (F-64905r996297_fix)
Note: If the system does not use UEFI, this requirement is not applicable.
Configure SLEM 5 to encrypt the boot password.
Generate an encrypted GRUB bootloader password for root with the following command:
> grub2-mkpasswd-pbkdf2
Enter Password:
Reenter Password:
PBKDF2 hash of your password is grub.pbkdf2.sha512.10000.03255F190F0E2F7B4F0D1C3216012309162F022A7A636771
Using the hash from the output, modify the "/etc/grub.d/40_custom" file and add the following two lines to add a boot password for the root entry:
set superusers="rooty"
password_pbkdf2 root grub.pbkdf2.sha512.03255F190F0E2F7B4F0D1C3216012309162F022A7A636771
Generate an updated "grub.conf" file with the new password using the following commands:
> sudo grub2-mkconfig --output=/tmp/grub2.cfg
> sudo mv /tmp/grub2.cfg /boot/efi/EFI/BOOT/grub.cfg