SLEM 5 SSH daemon private host key files must have mode 640 or less permissive.
Overview
| Finding ID | Version | Rule ID | IA Controls | Severity |
| V-261294 | SLEM-05-232045 | SV-261294r996359_rule | Medium |
| Description |
| If an unauthorized user obtains the private SSH host key file, the host could be impersonated. |
| STIG | Date |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Micro (SLEM) 5 Security Technical Implementation Guide | 2025-05-08 |
Details
| Check Text (C-65023r996358_chk) |
| Verify SLEM 5 SSH daemon private host key files have mode "640" or less permissive. The following command will find all SSH private key files on the system with the following command: > sudo find / -name '*ssh_host*key' -exec ls -lL {} \; Check the mode of the private host key files under "/etc/ssh" file with the following command: > find /etc/ssh -name 'ssh_host*key' -exec stat -c "%a %n" {} \; 640 /etc/ssh/ssh_host_rsa_key 640 /etc/ssh/ssh_host_dsa_key 640 /etc/ssh/ssh_host_ecdsa_key 640 /etc/ssh/ssh_host_ed25519_key If any file has a mode more permissive than "640", this is a finding. |
| Fix Text (F-64931r995748_fix) |
| Configure the mode of SLEM 5 SSH daemon private host key files under "/etc/ssh" to "640" with the following command: > sudo chmod 640 /etc/ssh/ssh_host*key |