SV-281085r1268226: RHEL 10 must enforce mode "0600" or less permissive for Secure Shell (SSH) private host key files. | Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10 STIG SCAP Benchmark

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Assessment Title

Rule Text

RHEL 10 must enforce mode "0600" or less permissive for Secure Shell (SSH) private host key files.

Description

Discussion Text

If an unauthorized user obtains the private SSH host key file, the host could be impersonated.

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

IA Controls

NIST SP 800-53

Not mappedCCI-000213

References

DPMS Target Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10 DISA DPMS Target Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10 5733

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.

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.stig.rhel10os:def:281085
if [ ! -d "/etc/ssh" ]; then echo "PASS"; exit 0; fi
for file in /etc/ssh/ssh_host*.key; do
    if [ ! -f "$file" ]; then continue; fi
    mode=$(stat -c "%a" "$file")
    if [ "$mode" -ge 600 ]; then echo "PASS"; exit 0; fi
done
echo "FAIL"; exit 1

Remediation

Configure RHEL 10 to enforce mode "0600" for SSH private host key files with the following command:

$ sudo chmod 0600 /etc/ssh/ssh_host*key

Restart the SSH daemon for the changes to take effect:

$ sudo systemctl restart sshd.service