AOSX-10-000040 - The operating system must implement cryptography to protect the integrity of remote access sessions.

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This audit has been deprecated and will be removed in a future update.

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Information

The telnet service must be disabled, as it sends all data, including the user's password, in a clear text form that can be easily intercepted and read. Passwords need to be protected at all times and encryption is the standard method for protecting passwords. If passwords are not encrypted, they can be plainly read (i.e., clear text) and easily compromised. Disabling telnet is one way to mitigate this risk. Authorized users should be instructed to use an alternate service that implements cryptography for remote access sessions, such as SSH.

Solution

To disable the 'telnet' service, run the following command:

sudo launchctl disable system/com.apple.telnetd

The system may need to be restarted for the update to take effect.

See Also

http://iasecontent.disa.mil/stigs/zip/U_Apple_OS_X_10-10_Workstation_V1R5_STIG.zip

Item Details

Category: CONFIGURATION MANAGEMENT

References: 800-53|CM-7, CAT|I, CCI|CCI-001453, Rule-ID|SV-73961r1_rule, STIG-ID|AOSX-10-000040, Vuln-ID|V-59531

Plugin: Unix

Control ID: a14adfab2b45f6518e0acd5955ccc2db425dad22030822b0514dbb783576c124