/hardening

Hardening Ubuntu. Systemd edition.

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Ubuntu Hardening

Hardening Ubuntu. Systemd edition.

A quick way to make a Ubuntu server a bit more secure.

Use the newly installed and configured system as a reference, or golden, image. Use that image as a baseline installation media and ensure that any future installation comply with benchmarks and policies using a configuration management tool, e.g Ansible or Puppet.

Tested on Ubuntu 20.04 Focal Fossa and Ubuntu 22.04 Jammy Jellyfish.

If you’re just interested in the security focused systemd configuration, it’s available as a separate document.

If you’re interested in testing your host settings, you’ll find the instructions here.

Note
 This is a constant work in progress. Make sure you understand what it does. Read the code and do not run this script without first testing in a non-operational environment.

Packer template and Ansible playbook

A Packer template is available in the Packer directory.

An Ansible playbook is available in the konstruktoid/ansible-role-hardening repository.

Howto

  1. Start the server installation.

  2. Pick language and keyboard layout.

  3. Select "Ubuntu Server (minimized)".

  4. Configure network connections.

  5. Partition the system, see below for recommendations.

  6. Do not install the OpenSSH server, "Featured Server Snaps", or any other packages.

  7. Finish the installation and reboot.

  8. Log in.

  9. If wanted, set a Grub2 password with grub-mkpasswd-pbkdf2. See https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Grub2/Passwords for more information.

  10. Install necessary packages: sudo apt-get -y install git net-tools procps --no-install-recommends.

  11. Download the script: git clone https://github.com/konstruktoid/hardening.git.

  12. Change the configuration options in the ubuntu.cfg file.

  13. Run the script: sudo bash ubuntu.sh.

  14. Reboot.

Recommended partitions and options

/boot (rw)
/home (rw,nosuid,nodev)
/var/log (rw,nosuid,nodev,noexec)
/var/log/audit (rw,nosuid,nodev,noexec)
/var/tmp (rw,nosuid,nodev,noexec)

Note that /tmp will be added automatically by the script.

Configuration options

FW_ADMIN='127.0.0.1' // (1)
SSH_GRPS='sudo' // (2)
SSH_PORT='22' // (3)
SYSCTL_CONF='./misc/sysctl.conf' // (4)
AUDITD_MODE='1' // (5)
AUDITD_RULES='./misc/audit-base.rules ./misc/audit-aggressive.rules ./misc/audit-docker.rules' // (6)
LOGROTATE_CONF='./misc/logrotate.conf' // (7)
NTPSERVERPOOL='0.ubuntu.pool.ntp.org 1.ubuntu.pool.ntp.org 2.ubuntu.pool.ntp.org 3.ubuntu.pool.ntp.org pool.ntp.org' // (8)
TIMEDATECTL='' // (9)
VERBOSE='N' // (10)
AUTOFILL='N' // (11)
ADMINEMAIL="root@localhost" // (12)
KEEP_SNAPD='Y' // (13)
CHANGEME='' // (14)

# Configuration files
ADDUSER='/etc/adduser.conf'
AUDITDCONF='/etc/audit/auditd.conf'
AUDITRULES='/etc/audit/rules.d/hardening.rules'
COMMONPASSWD='/etc/pam.d/common-password'
COMMONACCOUNT='/etc/pam.d/common-account'
COMMONAUTH='/etc/pam.d/common-auth'
COREDUMPCONF='/etc/systemd/coredump.conf'
DEFAULTGRUB='/etc/default/grub.d'
DISABLEFS='/etc/modprobe.d/disablefs.conf'
DISABLEMOD='/etc/modprobe.d/disablemod.conf'
DISABLENET='/etc/modprobe.d/disablenet.conf'
JOURNALDCONF='/etc/systemd/journald.conf'
LIMITSCONF='/etc/security/limits.conf'
LOGINDCONF='/etc/systemd/logind.conf'
LOGINDEFS='/etc/login.defs'
LOGROTATE='/etc/logrotate.conf'
PAMLOGIN='/etc/pam.d/login'
PSADCONF='/etc/psad/psad.conf'
PSADDL='/etc/psad/auto_dl'
RESOLVEDCONF='/etc/systemd/resolved.conf'
RKHUNTERCONF='/etc/default/rkhunter'
RSYSLOGCONF='/etc/rsyslog.conf'
SECURITYACCESS='/etc/security/access.conf'
SSHFILE='/etc/ssh/ssh_config'
SSHDFILE='/etc/ssh/sshd_config'
SYSCTL='/etc/sysctl.conf'
SYSTEMCONF='/etc/systemd/system.conf'
TIMESYNCD='/etc/systemd/timesyncd.conf'
UFWDEFAULT='/etc/default/ufw'
USERADD='/etc/default/useradd'
USERCONF='/etc/systemd/user.conf'

  1. The IP addresses that will be able to connect with SSH, separated by spaces.

  2. Which group the users have to be member of in order to acess via SSH, separated by spaces.

  3. Configure SSH port.

  4. Stricter sysctl settings.

  5. Auditd failure mode. 0=silent 1=printk 2=panic.

  6. Auditd rules.

  7. Logrotate settings.

  8. NTP server pool.

  9. Add a specific time zone or use the system default by leaving it empty.

  10. If you want all the details or not.

  11. Let the script guess the FW_ADMIN and SSH_GRPS settings.

  12. Add a valid email address, so PSAD can send notifications.

  13. If 'Y' then the snapd package will be held to prevent removal.

  14. Add something just to verify that you actually glanced the code.

Functions

Function list

pre

Setup script, sets APT flags and permission checks.

firewall

Enable ufw, use /etc/sysctl.conf, prepare to psad, and allow port 22 from $FW_ADMIN.

disablenet

Disable dccp sctp rds tipc protocols.

disablemnt

Disable cramfs freevxfs jffs2 hfs hfsplus udf file systems.

systemdconf

Disable coredumps and crash shells, set DefaultLimitNOFILE and DefaultLimitNPROC to 1024.

journalctl

Compress logs, forward to syslog and make log storage persistent. Ensure rsyslog writes logs with stricter permissions.

timesyncd

Add four NTP-servers with a latency < 50ms from $NTPSERVERPOOL.

fstab

Configure /tmp/ and /var/tmp/. Remove floppy drivers from /etc/fstab and add hidepid=2 to /proc.

prelink

Undo prelinking, and remove prelink package.

aptget

Configure dpkg and apt-get. apt-get update and upgrade.

hosts

/etc/hosts.allow and /etc/hosts.deny restrictions.

logindefs

Modify /etc/login.defs, e.g. UMASK, password age limits and SHA_CRYPT_MAX_ROUNDS.

sysctl

Update $SYSCTL with $SYSCTL_CONF.

limits

Set hard and soft limits.

adduser

Configure useradd and adduser to set /bin/false as default shell, home directory permissions to 0750 and lock users 30 days after password expires.

rootaccess

Limit /etc/securetty to console, and root from 127.0.0.1 in /etc/security/access.conf.

packages

Installs acct aide-common apparmor-profiles apparmor-utils auditd audispd-plugins debsums gnupg2 haveged libpam-apparmor libpam-pwquality libpam-tmpdir needrestart openssh-server postfix rkhunter sysstat systemd-coredump tcpd psad update-notifier-common vlock.

Removes apport* autofs avahi* beep git pastebinit popularity-contest rsh* rsync talk* telnet* tftp* whoopsie xinetd yp-tools ypbind.

sshdconfig

Configure the OpenSSH daemon. The configuration changes will be placed in the directory defined by the Include option if present, otherwise the default sshd_config will be modified.

password

Configure pam_pwquality.so and pam_tally2.so.

cron

Allow root to use cron. Mask atd.

ctraltdel

Disable Ctrl-alt-delete.

auditd

Configure auditd, use $AUDITD_RULES and set failure mode $AUDITD_MODE.

disablemod

Disable bluetooth bnep btusb cpia2 firewire-core floppy n_hdlc net-pf-31 pcspkr soundcore thunderbolt usb-midi usb-storage uvcvideo v4l2_common kernel modules.

Note that disabling the usb-storage will disable any usage of USB storage devices, if such devices are needed USBGuard should be configured accordingly.

aide

Configure aide.

rhosts

Remove hosts.equiv and .rhosts.

users

Remove games gnats irc list news sync uucp users.

suid

Remove suid bits from the executables listed in this document.

umask

Set bash and /etc/profile umask.

apparmor

Enforce present apparmor profiles.

path

Set root path to /usr/local/sbin:/usr/local/bin:/usr/sbin:/usr/bin:/sbin:/bin, and user path to /usr/local/bin:/usr/bin:/bin.

logindconf

Configure systemd/logind.conf and use KillUserProcesses.

resolvedconf

Configure systemd/resolved.conf.

rkhunter

Configure rkhunter.

issue

Update /etc/issue /etc/issue.net /etc/motd.

apport

Disable apport, ubuntu-report and popularity-contest.

lockroot

Lock the root user account.

coredump

Disable coredumps with systemd/coredump.conf.

postfix

Configure postfix. Disable the VRFY command, configure smtpd_banner, smtpd_client_restrictions and inet_interfaces.

motdnews

Disable motd-news.

usbguard

Install and configure usbguard.

compilers

Restrict compiler access.

kernel

Set lockdown=confidentiality if /sys/kernel/security/lockdown is present.

sudo

Configure sudo with use_pty, logfile, !visiblepw, !pwfeedback, passwd_timeout and timestamp_timeout.

Restrict su to the sudo group.

psad

Configure psad.

systemddelta

If verbose, show systemd-delta.

post

Ensure secureboot-db is installed, update grub and ensure strict permissions on boot files.

reboot

Print if a reboot is required.

Function execution order

f_pre
f_kernel
f_firewall
f_disablenet
f_disablefs
f_disablemod
f_systemdconf
f_resolvedconf
f_logindconf
f_journalctl
f_timesyncd
f_fstab
f_prelink
f_aptget_configure
f_aptget
f_hosts
f_issue
f_sudo
f_logindefs
f_sysctl
f_limitsconf
f_adduser
f_rootaccess
f_package_install
f_psad
f_coredump
f_usbguard
f_postfix
f_apport
f_motdnews
f_rkhunter
f_sshconfig
f_sshdconfig
f_password
f_cron
f_ctrlaltdel
f_auditd
f_aide
f_rhosts
f_users
f_lockroot
f_package_remove
f_suid
f_restrictcompilers
f_umask
f_path
f_aa_enforce
f_aide_post
f_aide_timer
f_aptget_noexec
f_aptget_clean
f_systemddelta
f_post
f_checkreboot

Tests

There are approximately 760 Bats tests for most of the above settings available in the tests directory.

sudo apt-get -y install bats
git clone https://github.com/konstruktoid/hardening.git
cd hardening/tests/
sudo bats .

Test automation using Vagrant

Running bash ./runTests.sh will use Vagrant to run all above tests, Lynis and OpenSCAP with a CIS Ubuntu benchmark on all supported Ubuntu versions.

The script will generate a file named TESTRESULTS.adoc and CIS report in HTML-format.

Testing a host

Running bash ./runHostTests.sh, located in the tests directory, will generate a TESTRESULTS-<HOSTNAME>.adoc report.

Recommended reading

Contributing

Do you want to contribute? That’s great! Contributions are always welcome, no matter how large or small. If you found something odd, feel free to submit a new issue, improve the code by creating a pull request, or by sponsoring this project.

Logo by reallinfo.