5.1.14 Ensure sshd IgnoreRhosts is enabled

Information

The IgnoreRhosts parameter specifies that .rhosts and .shosts files will not be used in RhostsRSAAuthentication or HostbasedAuthentication.

Setting this parameter forces users to enter a password when authenticating with SSH.

Solution

Edit the /etc/ssh/sshd_config file to set the IgnoreRhosts parameter to yes above any Include entry as follows:

IgnoreRhosts yes

Impact:

Enabling IgnoreRhosts prevents .rhosts and .shosts files from being used during authentication. Any workflow that relies on rhosts-style host-based trust will stop working and must be migrated to key-based authentication before this recommendation is applied.

See Also

https://workbench.cisecurity.org/benchmarks/27890

Item Details

Category: CONFIGURATION MANAGEMENT, IDENTIFICATION AND AUTHENTICATION

References: 800-53|CM-1, 800-53|CM-2, 800-53|CM-6, 800-53|CM-7, 800-53|IA-5, 800-53|IA-5(1), CSCv7|4.4

Plugin: Unix

Control ID: 283d5e5ceddeb9459d9fdc7db5b53d505fba61f8217431b3c7c8a8b5af4938b7