1.1.2.2.4 Ensure noexec option set on /dev/shm partition

Information

The noexec mount option specifies that the filesystem cannot contain executable binaries.

Rationale:

Setting this option on a file system prevents users from executing programs from shared memory. This deters users from introducing potentially malicious software on the system.

Solution

- IF - a separate partition exists for /dev/shm.
Edit the /etc/fstab file and add noexec to the fourth field (mounting options) for the /dev/shm partition.
Example:

tmpfs /dev/shm tmpfs defaults,rw,nosuid,nodev,noexec,relatime 0 0

Run the following command to remount /dev/shm with the configured options:

# mount -o remount /dev/shm

Note: It is recommended to use tmpfs as the device/filesystem type as /dev/shm is used as shared memory space by applications.

See Also

https://workbench.cisecurity.org/benchmarks/15286

Item Details

Category: ACCESS CONTROL, MEDIA PROTECTION

References: 800-53|AC-3, 800-53|AC-5, 800-53|AC-6, 800-53|MP-2, CSCv7|14.6

Plugin: Unix

Control ID: 48bb9092d5c851bfa245f00b1b98c1b1154d45c5e5c571406ea7ee3c80c6a545