Avoid using null passwords whenever possible
2.1.8. Administrative Controls
2.1.8.2. Disallowing Root Access
If an administrator is uncomfortable allowing users to log in as root for these or other reasons, the root password should be kept secret, and access to runlevel one or single user mode should be disallowed through boot loader password protection (refer to Section 2.1.2.2, “Boot Loader Passwords” for more information on this topic.)
The following are four different ways that an administrator can further ensure that root logins are disallowed:
Changing the root shell
To prevent users from logging in directly as root, the system administrator can set the root account's shell to /sbin/nologin in the /etc/passwd file.
Table 2.2. Disabling the Root Shell
Effects Does Not Affect
Prevents access to the root shell and logs any such attempts. The following programs are prevented from accessing the root account:
Programs that do not require a shell, such as FTP clients, mail clients, and many setuid programs. The following programs are not prevented from accessing the root account:
sudo FTP clients Email clients
Disabling root access via any console device (tty)
To further limit access to the root account, administrators can disable root logins at the console by editing the /etc/securetty file. This file lists all devices the root user is allowed to log into.
If the file does not exist at all, the root user can log in through any communication device on the
system, whether via the console or a raw network interface. This is dangerous, because a user can log in to their machine as root via Telnet, which transmits the password in plain text over the network.
By default, Red Hat Enterprise Linux's /etc/securetty file only allows the root user to log in at the console physically attached to the machine. To prevent the root user from logging in, remove the contents of this file by typing the following command at a shell prompt as root:
echo > /etc/securetty
To enable securetty support in the KDM, GDM, and XDM login managers, add the following line:
auth [user_unknown=ignore success=ok ignore=ignore default=bad]
pam_securetty.so to the files listed below:
/etc/pam .d/gdm
/etc/pam .d/gdm -autologin /etc/pam .d/gdm -fingerprint /etc/pam .d/gdm -password /etc/pam .d/gdm -sm artcard /etc/pam .d/kdm
/etc/pam .d/kdm -np /etc/pam .d/xdm
Warning
A blank /etc/securetty file does not prevent the root user from logging in remotely using the OpenSSH suite of tools because the console is not opened until after
authentication.
Table 2.3. Disabling Root Logins
Effects Does Not Affect
Prevents access to the root account via the console or the network. The following programs are prevented from accessing the root account:
login gdm kdm xdm
Other network services that open a tty
Programs that do not log in as root, but perform administrative tasks through setuid or other mechanisms. The following
programs are not prevented from accessing the root account:
su sudo ssh scp sftp
Disabling root SSH logins
To prevent root logins via the SSH protocol, edit the SSH daemon's configuration file, /etc/ssh/sshd_config, and change the line that reads:
#PermitRootLogin yes to read as follows:
PermitRootLogin no
Table 2.4. Disabling Root SSH Logins
Effects Does Not Affect
Prevents root access via the OpenSSH suite of tools. The following programs are
prevented from accessing the root account:
ssh scp sftp
Programs that are not part of the OpenSSH suite of tools.
Using PAM to limit root access to services
PAM, through the /lib/security/pam _listfile.so module, allows great flexibility in denying specific accounts. The administrator can use this module to reference a list of users who are not allowed to log in. To limit root access to a system service, edit the file for the target service in the /etc/pam .d/ directory and make sure the pam _listfile.so module is required for authentication.
The following is an example of how the module is used for the vsftpd FTP server in the /etc/pam .d/vsftpd PAM configuration file (the \ character at the end of the first line is not necessary if the directive is on a single line):
auth required /lib/security/pam_listfile.so item=user \ sense=deny file=/etc/vsftpd.ftpusers onerr=succeed
This instructs PAM to consult the /etc/vsftpd.ftpusers file and deny access to the service for any listed user. The administrator can change the name of this file, and can keep separate lists for each service or use one central list to deny access to multiple services.
If the administrator wants to deny access to multiple services, a similar line can be added to the PAM configuration files, such as /etc/pam .d/pop and /etc/pam .d/im ap for mail clients, or /etc/pam .d/ssh for SSH clients.
For more information about PAM, refer to the chapter titled Using Pluggable Authentication Modules (PAM) in the Red Hat Enterprise Linux Managing Single Sign-On and Smart Cards guide.
Table 2.5. Disabling Root Using PAM
Effects Does Not Affect
Prevents root access to network services that are PAM aware. The following services are prevented from accessing the root account:
login gdm kdm xdm ssh scp sftp FTP clients Email clients
Any PAM aware services
Programs and services that are not PAM aware.