Detections
Analytics

5.2.7 Ensure SSH MaxAuthTries is set to 4 or less - sshd output

Warning! Audit Deprecated

This audit has been deprecated and will be removed in a future update.

View Next Audit Version

Information

The MaxAuthTries parameter specifies the maximum number of authentication attempts permitted per connection. When the login failure count reaches half the number, error messages will be written to the syslog file detailing the login failure.

Rationale:

Setting the MaxAuthTries parameter to a low number will minimize the risk of successful brute force attacks to the SSH server. While the recommended setting is 4, set the number based on site policy.

Solution

Edit the /etc/ssh/sshd_config file to set the parameter as follows:

MaxAuthTries 4

Default Value:

MaxAuthTries 6

See Also

https://workbench.cisecurity.org/files/3379

Item Details

References: CSCv6|16.7, CSCv7|16.13

Plugin: Unix

Control ID: 46b7e8e03f1674326b1ac80c124a2eeecdb4576635aba761ea3771c074494222