---
title: "HOST-FS-008 Temporary Filesystems Allow Executables or Devices"
canonical: https://openvapt.com/checks/HOST-FS-008.html
html: https://openvapt.com/checks/HOST-FS-008.html
site: OpenVAPT, https://openvapt.com/
license: OpenVAPT Source-Available Licence 1.3, https://openvapt.com/legal/licence-text.html
modified: 2026-10-14
version: 0.1.0-alpha.6
---

# HOST-FS-008 Temporary Filesystems Allow Executables or Devices

Checks that /tmp, /var/tmp and /dev/shm are mounted with nodev and nosuid.

- Domain: Server
- Severity: Low
- Control category: Secure Configuration
- Fix effort: medium
- CVSS v3.1 vector: `CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N`
- CIS Controls v8: 4.1
- NIST CSF 2.0: PR.PS-01
- CWE: CWE-276
- NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5: CM-6, CM-7
- Benchmark topic: Separate partitions and mount options for temporary directories (topic only, no benchmark text)

## Why It Matters

World-writable temporary areas are where attackers drop tools. nosuid stops planted setuid programs working there, and nodev stops device files being created.

## How It Detects

Reads /proc/mounts. For each of /tmp, /var/tmp and /dev/shm that is a separate mount, nodev and nosuid must be present. Paths that are not separate mounts are reported as skipped.

## How to Fix

Mount the path as tmpfs or a separate filesystem with options nodev,nosuid (and noexec where software allows), for example via systemd tmp.mount or /etc/fstab, then remount.

## How to Verify

```
findmnt -no OPTIONS /tmp /var/tmp /dev/shm
```

## Learn the Theory

- [P1 Linux Server Hardening](https://openvapt.com/academy/p1.md)

## References

- [mount(8), Linux man-pages (nodev, nosuid, noexec)](https://man7.org/linux/man-pages/man8/mount.8.html)

## Source Code

https://github.com/OpenVAPT/openvapt/blob/574f7f3333c44b75a3c649e2d93a76d507f75adf/internal/checks/host/hardening.go

Run it: `openvapt scan --only HOST-FS-008`. Read it offline: `openvapt explain HOST-FS-008`.

---

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