Hardeing a UNIX box HOWTO (Was Re: Hardening RH 7.2)

[Carson Gaspar <carson () taltos org>]

--On Tuesday, July 16, 2002 2:26 PM -0400 Jon Czerwinski 
<joncz () mindspring com> wrote:

> Any recommended websites or documents detailing hardening a RedHat
> 7.2 server?

I've seen various forms of this question for a while. Here's the approach I 
take (and have some scripts that automate the process). It's seems a lot 
more straightforward (and more draconian) than a lot of the docs I've read, 
and is much shorter ;-)

To harden a UNIX box:

- Install the OS (full install if you feel like it)
- Remove the setuid bit from all files
- Remove the setgid bit from all files
- Remove group writability from all files and directories
- Remove world writability from all files and directories
- Make all files and directories owned by root

Now this is where it starts to vary by platform:

- Disable all non-essential start scripts (or portions thereof, for the 
rc.local folks out there)
- Re-add permissions to the small number of files/dirs that actually need 
them. A good starting list (from Solaris - YMMV):

World Writeable Directories (all should be mode 1777):

/tmp
/var/tmp
/var/preserve (if you use vi, and care)

SetUID binaries (mode 4111 through 4755, depending on paranoia)

su
passwd
pt_chmod (or equivilant helper binary, if your platform needs it)
utmp_update (as above)

Group writeable directories (mostly mode 660, or 2660)

/tmp/ps_data

You also may want to create an "operator" group, to allow non-root users to 
run diagnostic tools. If so, you probably want to make the following setuid 
root (mode 4110 - mode 4750), group operator. If you have file system ACLs, 
you can make some of them setgid sys/mem/whatever instead, with an ACL 
enabling the operator group to execute them.

netstat
ping
traceroute
tcpdump
prtconf
top
ps
sysdef

- Reboot your machine
- You should now have a minimally functional system (console text login as 
root or as a non-root user)
- Run "netstat -na". You should see nothing listening (unless you left 
something enabled on purpose, such as sshd)

Now this part _really_ requires expertise:

- Enable each service you require, understanding the security requirements 
of each. E-mail can be particularly tricky, requiring world and/or group 
writable directories, and setuid and/or setgid binaries.

--
Carson

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