IT Best Practices Tip: nist_V-38613
Severity: medium
Short Description
The system must not permit root logins using remote access programs such as ssh.
Long Description
Permitting direct root login reduces auditable information about who ran privileged commands on the system and also allows direct attack attempts on root's password.
How to Check Correct Configuration
To determine how the SSH daemon's "PermitRootLogin" option is set, run the following command:
# grep -i PermitRootLogin /etc/ssh/sshd_config
If a line indicating "no" is returned, then the required value is set.
If the required value is not set, this is a finding.
How to Fix
The root user should never be allowed to log in to a system directly over a network. To disable root login via SSH, add or correct the following line in "/etc/ssh/sshd_config":
PermitRootLogin no