The Photon operating system must configure sshd to limit the number of allowed login attempts per connection.
Overview
| Finding ID | Version | Rule ID | IA Controls | Severity |
| V-256557 | PHTN-30-000088 | SV-256557r991589_rule | Medium |
| Description |
| By setting the login attempt limit to a low value, an attacker will be forced to reconnect frequently, which severely limits the speed and effectiveness of brute-force attacks. |
| STIG | Date |
| VMware vSphere 7.0 vCenter Appliance Photon OS Security Technical Implementation Guide | 2024-12-16 |
Details
| Check Text (C-60232r887343_chk) |
| At the command line, run the following command: # sshd -T|&grep -i MaxAuthTries Expected result: MaxAuthTries 6 If the output does not match the expected result, this is a finding. |
| Fix Text (F-60175r887344_fix) |
| Navigate to and open: /etc/ssh/sshd_config Ensure the "MaxAuthTries" line is uncommented and set to the following: MaxAuthTries 6 At the command line, run the following command: # systemctl restart sshd.service |