5.3.2 Ensure sudo commands use pty

Information

sudo can be configured to run only from a pseudo terminal ( pseudo-pty ).

Attackers can run a malicious program using sudo which would fork a background process that remains even when the main program has finished executing.

Solution

Edit the file /etc/sudoers with visudo or a file in /etc/sudoers.d/ with visudo -f <PATH TO FILE> and add the following line:

Defaults use_pty

Impact:

WARNING: Editing the sudo configuration incorrectly can cause sudo to stop functioning. Always use visudo to modify sudo configuration files.

See Also

https://workbench.cisecurity.org/files/3742