5.1.22 Ensure SSH MaxSessions is set to 4 or less

Information

The MaxSessions parameter specifies the maximum number of open sessions permitted from a given connection.

To protect a system from denial of service due to a large number of concurrent sessions, use the rate limiting function of MaxSessions to protect availability of sshd logins and prevent overwhelming the daemon.

Solution

Edit the /etc/ssh/sshd_config file to set the parameter as follows:

MaxSessions 4

See Also

https://workbench.cisecurity.org/benchmarks/12218

Item Details

Category: CONFIGURATION MANAGEMENT

References: 800-53|CM-6, CSCv7|5.1

Plugin: Unix

Control ID: bd55689928d627e3f08a183438da918c7da0fd6f75d8e9d4972db2715b16ee64