View the security misconfiguration catalog
  • Misconfiguration Name
  • Authentication to Grub bootloader is not configured
  • Description
  • A bootloader, also known as a boot program or bootstrap loader, is a special operating system software loads and starts the boot time tasks and processes of an operating system or the computer system. Grub is bootloader for many Linux OS and the grub configuration file contains information on boot settings and passwords for unlocking boot options. The grub configuration is usually labeled as grub.cfg and stored in /boot/grub2/ or /boot/grub/. It is recommended to configure the grub confguration file to require a boot password upon the execution of the boot loader and prevent unauthorized users from adding or changing boot parameters.
  • Severity
  • critical
  • Category
  • Linux Grub Hardening
  • Resolution
  • Follow the below steps to resolve the misconfiguration. Run the following commands to set permissions on your grub configuration:
    chown root:root /boot/grub2/grub.cfg
    chmod og-rwx /boot/grub2/grub.cfg

    OR

    chown root:root /boot/grub/grub.cfg
    chmod og-rwx /boot/grub/grub.cfg
  • Potential issues that may arise after applying the resolution
  • Altering the existing security setting may create the following impact in your network operations.
  • Does remediation require reboot?
  • No