Vulnerability Discussion

Installing software updates is a fundamental mitigation against the exploitation of publicly known vulnerabilities. If the most recent security patches and updates are not installed, unauthorized users may take advantage of weaknesses in the unpatched software. The lack of prompt attention to patching could result in a system compromise.

Check

Verify RHEL 9 security patches and updates are installed and up to date. Updates are required to be applied with a frequency determined by organizational policy.

Obtain the list of available package security updates from Red Hat. The URL for updates is https://access.redhat.com/errata-search/. It is important to note that updates provided by Red Hat may not be present on the system if the underlying packages are not installed.

Check that the available package security updates have been installed on the system with the following command:

$ dnf history list | more

ID | Command line | Date and time | Action(s) | Altered
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
70 | install aide | 2023-03-05 10:58 | Install | 1
69 | update -y | 2023-03-04 14:34 | Update | 18 EE
68 | install vlc | 2023-02-21 17:12 | Install | 21
67 | update -y | 2023-02-21 17:04 | Update | 7 EE

Typical update frequency may be overridden by Information Assurance Vulnerability Alert (IAVA) notifications from CYBERCOM.

If the system is in noncompliance with the organizational patching policy, this is a finding.

Fix

Install RHEL 9 security patches and updates at the organizationally defined frequency. If system updates are installed via a centralized repository that is configured on the system, all updates can be installed with the following command:

$ sudo dnf update