RHEL 8 must ignore IPv6 Internet Control Message Protocol (ICMP) redirect messages.

STIG ID: RHEL-08-040280  |  SRG: SRG-OS-000480-GPOS-00227 |  Severity: medium |  CCI: CCI-000366 |  Vulnerability Id: V-230544 | 

Vulnerability Discussion

ICMP redirect messages are used by routers to inform hosts that a more direct route exists for a particular destination. These messages modify the host's route table and are unauthenticated. An illicit ICMP redirect message could result in a man-in-the-middle attack.

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

Based on the information above, if a configuration file that begins with "99-" is created in the "/etc/sysctl.d/" directory, it will take precedence over any other configuration file on the system.

Check

Verify RHEL 8 ignores IPv6 ICMP redirect messages.

Note: If IPv6 is disabled on the system, this requirement is Not Applicable.

Check the value of the "accept_redirects" variables with the following command:

$ sudo sysctl net.ipv6.conf.all.accept_redirects

net.ipv6.conf.all.accept_redirects = 0

If the returned line does not have a value of "0", a line is not returned, or the line is commented out, this is a finding.

Check that the configuration files are present to enable this network parameter.

$ sudo grep -r net.ipv6.conf.all.accept_redirects /etc/sysctl.d/*.conf

/etc/sysctl.d/99-sysctl.conf: net.ipv6.conf.all.accept_redirects = 0

If "net.ipv6.conf.all.accept_redirects" is not set to "0", is missing or commented out, this is a finding.

If the configuration file does not begin with "99-", this is a finding.

Fix

Configure RHEL 8 to ignore IPv6 ICMP redirect messages.

Add or edit the following line in a system configuration file, which begins with "99-", in the "/etc/sysctl.d/" directory:

net.ipv6.conf.all.accept_redirects = 0

Load settings from all system configuration files with the following command:

$ sudo sysctl --system
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