DISA STIGS Viewer

RHEL 9 SSH server configuration files' permissions must not be modified.

Overview

Finding ID Version Rule ID IA Controls Severity
V-257999 RHEL-09-255115 SV-257999r1082182_rule   Medium
Description
Service configuration files enable or disable features of their respective services, that if configured incorrectly, can lead to insecure and vulnerable configurations. Therefore, service configuration files must have correct permissions (owner, group owner, mode) to prevent unauthorized changes.
STIG Date
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9 Security Technical Implementation Guide 2025-05-14

Details

Check Text (C-61740r1069357_chk)
Verify the permissions of the "/etc/ssh/sshd_config" file with the following command:

$ sudo rpm --verify openssh-server

If the command returns any output, this is a finding.
Fix Text (F-61664r1069358_fix)
Run the following commands to restore the correct permissions of OpenSSH server configuration files:

$ sudo dnf reinstall -y openssh-server
$ rpm --setugids openssh-server
$ rpm --setperms openssh-server