SV-281253r1184654: RHEL 10 must be configured so that Secure Shell (SSH) public host key files have mode "0644" or less permissive. | Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10 STIG SCAP Benchmark

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Assessment Title

Rule Text

RHEL 10 must be configured so that Secure Shell (SSH) public host key files have mode "0644" or less permissive.

Description

Discussion Text

If a public host key file is modified by an unauthorized user, the SSH service may be compromised.

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

IA Controls

NIST SP 800-53

Not mappedCCI-002696

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:281253

if [ ! -d "/etc/ssh" ]; then echo "PASS"; exit 0; fi
for file in /etc/ssh/*.pub; do
    if [ ! -f "$file" ]; then continue; fi
    mode=$(stat -c "%a" "$file")
    if [ "$mode" -ge 644 ]; then continue; else echo "FAIL"; exit 1; fi
done
echo "PASS"
exit 0

Remediation

Configure RHEL 10 SSH public host key files to have mode "0644" or less permissive.

Change the mode of public host key files under "/etc/ssh" to "0644" with the following command:

$ sudo chmod 0644 /etc/ssh/*key.pub

Restart the SSH daemon with the following command for the changes to take effect:

$ sudo systemctl restart sshd.service