OL 9 file systems must not contain shosts.equiv files.

Overview

Finding ID	Version	Rule ID	IA Controls	Severity
V-271757	OL09-00-002419	SV-271757r1092604_rule		High

Description

The shosts.equiv files are used to configure host-based authentication for the system via SSH. Host-based authentication is not sufficient for preventing unauthorized access to the system, as it does not require interactive identification and authentication of a connection request, or for the use of two-factor authentication.

STIG	Date
Oracle Linux 9 Security Technical Implementation Guide	2025-05-08

Details

Check Text (C-75807r1091981_chk)

Verify that OL 9 has no "shosts.equiv" files on the system with the following command:

$ sudo find / -name shosts.equiv

If a "shosts.equiv" file is found, this is a finding.

Fix Text (F-75714r1091982_fix)

Remove any found "shosts.equiv" files from the system.

$ sudo rm /[path]/[to]/[file]/shosts.equiv