5.2.4 Ensure users must provide password for privilege escalation

Information

The operating system must be configured so that users must provide a password for privilege escalation.

Without (re-)authentication, users may access resources or perform tasks for which they do not have authorization.

When operating systems provide the capability to escalate a functional capability, it is critical the user (re-)authenticate.

Solution

Based on the outcome of the audit procedure, use visudo -f <PATH TO FILE> to edit the relevant sudoers file.

Remove any line with occurrences of NOPASSWD tags in the file.

Impact:

This will prevent automated processes from being able to elevate privileges.

See Also

https://workbench.cisecurity.org/benchmarks/18959