SV-27320r2: Access to the cron utility must be controlled using the cron.allow and/or cron.deny file(s). | Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5 Security Technical Implementation Guide

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Assessment Title

Rule Text

Access to the cron utility must be controlled using the cron.allow and/or cron.deny file(s).

Description

Discussion Text

The cron facility allows users to execute recurring jobs on a regular and unattended basis. The cron.allow file designates accounts allowed to enter and execute jobs using the cron facility. If the cron.allow file is not present, users listed in the cron.deny file are not allowed to use the cron facility. Improper configuration of cron may open the facility up for abuse by system intruders and malicious users.

How this relates to the STIG checklist: STIG vs SCAP benchmark.

IA Controls

NIST SP 800-53

Not mappedCCI-000225

Additional Details

Responsibility

System Administrator

References

DPMS Target Red Hat 5 DISA DPMS Target Red Hat 5 2154

SCC Automation Reference

The reconstructed evaluation script behind this rule's OVAL check(s) — every module a compound check combines, with this rule's own concrete values and DISA's SCC tool's real per-module mechanism curated from static teardown of SCC releases.

#!/bin/bash
# Reconstructed from oval:mil.disa.fso.rhel11:def:190
# Access to the cron utility must be controlled using the cron.allow and/or cron.deny file(s).
# Per-module read mechanism curated from static teardown of DISA's SCC tool
# (SCAP Compliance Checker) -- see the SCC Automation Reference above.

# check /etc/cron.allow existence
# file_object (file_test)
test_1() {
  test -e '/etc/cron.allow' &>/dev/null
}
# check /etc/cron.deny existence
# file_object (file_test)
test_2() {
  test -e '/etc/cron.deny' &>/dev/null
}

if ( test_1 || test_2 ); then
  echo "PASS"
else
  echo "FAIL"
fi

Assessment Script Powered by AISandbox-executed

A standalone Shell script to assess this control automatically. Review before running it in your environment.

Syntax-checked and actually executed in an isolated sandbox (not the real system this checks) — confirmed to run without errors.

#!/bin/sh
# OVAL definition: oval:mil.disa.fso.rhel11:def:190
if [ -e /etc/cron.allow ] || [ -e /etc/cron.deny ]; then echo "PASS"; exit 0; fi; echo "FAIL"; exit 1

Remediation

Create /etc/cron.allow and/or /etc/cron.deny with appropriate content and reboot the system to ensure no lingering cron jobs are processed.