← Rules Catalog
highsystemverified

Require authentication for emergency mode

emergency-service-auth · RHEL ≥ 8 · 1 impl

Description

Emergency mode (emergency.service) must require root password authentication to prevent unauthorized system access.

Rationale

Emergency mode provides root access. Without authentication, anyone with physical access could gain full control.

Check → Remediate

Checkcommand
grep -E '^ExecStart=' /usr/lib/systemd/system/emergency.service | grep -q 'sulogin'
expected_exit:
0
Remediatemanual
note:
The emergency.service unit should use sulogin for authentication. This is the default on RHEL 8/9. If modified, restore: systemctl revert emergency.service

Framework references

STIG

V-281327 / RHEL-10-701250V-244523

NIST 800-53

AC-3IA-2

Live verification

rhel8:check
#authentication#emergency#physical-security