OL08-00-010430 - OL 8 must implement address space layout randomization (ASLR) to protect its memory from unauthorized code execution - ASLR to protect its memory from unauthorized code execution

Information

Some adversaries launch attacks with the intent of executing code in non-executable regions of memory or in memory locations that are prohibited. Security safeguards employed to protect memory include, for example, data execution prevention and address space layout randomization. Data execution prevention safeguards can be either hardware-enforced or software-enforced, with hardware providing the greater strength of mechanism.

Examples of attacks are buffer overflow attacks.

The sysctl --system command will load settings from all system configuration files. All configuration files are sorted by their filename in lexicographic order, regardless of which of the directories they reside in. If multiple files specify the same option, the entry in the file with the lexicographically latest name will take precedence. Files are read from directories in the following list from top to bottom. Once a file of a given filename is loaded, any file of the same name in subsequent directories is ignored.
/etc/sysctl.d/*.conf
/run/sysctl.d/*.conf
/usr/local/lib/sysctl.d/*.conf
/usr/lib/sysctl.d/*.conf
/lib/sysctl.d/*.conf
/etc/sysctl.conf

Solution

Configure OL 8 to implement virtual address space randomization.

Set the system to the required kernel parameter by adding the following line to '/etc/sysctl.d/*.conf' (or modify the line to have the required value):

kernel.randomize_va_space=2

Remove any configurations that conflict with the above from the following locations:
/run/sysctl.d/*.conf
/usr/local/lib/sysctl.d/*.conf
/usr/lib/sysctl.d/*.conf
/lib/sysctl.d/*.conf
/etc/sysctl.conf
/etc/sysctl.d/*.conf

Issue the following command to make the changes take effect:

$ sudo sysctl --system

See Also

https://dl.dod.cyber.mil/wp-content/uploads/stigs/zip/U_Oracle_Linux_8_V1R8_STIG.zip

Item Details

References: CAT|II, CCI|CCI-002824, Rule-ID|SV-248594r860918_rule, STIG-ID|OL08-00-010430, Vuln-ID|V-248594

Plugin: Unix

Control ID: c1d2bea7b2d6782a219c50141426bca7a1540e40b5ae005b743f33b001cf6c2d