The SUSE operating system SSH daemon public host key files must have mode 0644 or less permissive.
Overview
| Finding ID | Version | Rule ID | IA Controls | Severity |
| V-235008 | SLES-15-040240 | SV-235008r991589_rule | CCI-000366 | medium |
| Description | ||||
| If a public host key file is modified by an unauthorized user, the SSH service may be compromised. | ||||
| STIG | Date | |||
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 Security Technical Implementation Guide | 2025-05-14 | |||
Details
Check Text (C-235008r991589_chk)
Verify the SUSE operating system SSH daemon public host key files have mode "0644" or less permissive.
Note: SSH public key files may be found in other directories on the system depending on the installation.
The following command will find all SSH public key files on the system:
> find /etc/ssh -name 'ssh_host*key.pub' -exec stat -c "%a %n" {} \;
644 /etc/ssh/ssh_host_rsa_key.pub
644 /etc/ssh/ssh_host_dsa_key.pub
644 /etc/ssh/ssh_host_ecdsa_key.pub
644 /etc/ssh/ssh_host_ed25519_key.pub
If any file has a mode more permissive than "0644", this is a finding.
Fix Text (F-38159r619294_fix)
Configure the SUSE operating system SSH daemon public host key files have mode "0644" or less permissive.
Note: SSH public key files may be found in other directories on the system depending on the installation.
Change the mode of public host key files under "/etc/ssh" to "0644" with the following command:
> sudo chmod 0644 /etc/ssh/ssh_host*key.pub