TOSS 5 must prevent IPv4 Internet Control Message Protocol (ICMP) redirect messages from being accepted.

Overview

Finding IDVersionRule IDIA ControlsSeverity
V-282690TOSS-05-000218SV-282690r1201050_ruleCCI-000366medium
Description
ICMP redirect messages are used by routers to inform hosts that a more direct route exists for a particular destination. These messages modify the host's route table and are unauthenticated. An illicit ICMP redirect message could result in a man-in-the-middle attack. This feature of the IPv4 protocol has few legitimate uses. It must be disabled unless absolutely required.
STIGDate
Tri-Lab Operating System Stack (TOSS) 5 Security Technical Implementation Guide2026-04-01

Details

Check Text (C-282690r1201050_chk)

Verify TOSS 5 will not accept IPv4 ICMP redirect messages using the following command: $ sudo sysctl net.ipv4.conf.default.accept_redirects net.ipv4.conf.default.accept_redirects = 0 If the returned line does not have a value of "0", or a line is not returned, this is a finding.

Fix Text (F-87156r1201049_fix)

Configure TOSS 5 to prevent IPv4 ICMP redirect messages from being accepted. Add or edit the following line in a single system configuration file, in the "/etc/sysctl.d/" directory: net.ipv4.conf.default.accept_redirects = 0 Load settings from all system configuration files using the following command: $ sudo sysctl --system