3.1.2 Ensure wireless interfaces are disabled

Information

Wireless networking is used when wired networks are unavailable.

If wireless is not to be used, wireless devices should be disabled to reduce the potential attack surface.

Solution

Run the following script to disable any wireless interfaces:

#!/bin/bash

if command -v nmcli >/dev/null 2>&1 ; then
nmcli radio all off
else
if [ -n "$(find /sys/class/net/*/ -type d -name wireless)" ]; then
mname=$(for driverdir in $(find /sys/class/net/*/ -type d -name wireless | xargs -0 dirname); do basename "$(readlink -f "$driverdir"/device/driver/module)";done | sort -u)
for dm in $mname; do
echo "install $dm /bin/true" >> /etc/modprobe.d/disable_wireless.conf
done
fi
fi

Impact:

Many if not all laptop workstations and some desktop workstations will connect via wireless requiring these interfaces be enabled.

See Also

https://workbench.cisecurity.org/benchmarks/8415

Item Details

Category: CONFIGURATION MANAGEMENT

References: 800-53|CM-6, 800-53|CM-7, CSCv7|15.4, CSCv7|15.5

Plugin: Unix

Control ID: 61364ab857fc499786f93d3a241da7b76fa755a9170ddec0eb4904eaf5b9263c