Information
Configure the loopback interface to accept traffic. Configure all other interfaces to deny traffic to the loopback network (127.0.0.0/8).
Notes:
Changing firewall settings while connected over network can result in being locked out of the system
Remediation will only affect the active system firewall, be sure to configure the default policy in your firewall management to apply on boot as well
Rationale:
Loopback traffic is generated between processes on machine and is typically critical to operation of the system. The loopback interface is the only place that loopback network (127.0.0.0/8) traffic should be seen, all other interfaces should ignore traffic on this network as an anti-spoofing measure.
NOTE: Nessus has determined that this check is not applicable to the target device as it is currently configured. Please review the benchmark to ensure target compliance.
Solution
Run the following commands to implement the loopback rules:
# iptables -A INPUT -i lo -j ACCEPT
# iptables -A OUTPUT -o lo -j ACCEPT
# iptables -A INPUT -s 127.0.0.0/8 -j DROP