OpenVAPTLowHOST-SSH-008Identity and AuthenticationServer
SSH Authentication Controls Too Permissive
Checks effective SSH authentication method and login grace settings.
- Why It Matters
- Long login windows and unconstrained single-factor authentication give online guessing and stolen credentials more opportunity.
- How It Detects
- Evaluates applicable Match contexts and flags LoginGraceTime over 60 seconds, or password or keyboard-interactive login enabled without an AuthenticationMethods list that requires a second method.
- How to Fix
- Set LoginGraceTime 60 or lower and choose AuthenticationMethods appropriate to the server, such as publickey, then restrict access with AllowUsers or AllowGroups where practical.
- How to Verify
Use sshd -T -C for each allowed user and source context and inspect logingracetime, authenticationmethods, allowusers and allowgroups.- CVSS v3.1 Vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N- Control Category
- Identity and Authentication: CIS Controls v8 5, 6; NIST CSF 2.0 PR.AA
- Fix Effort
- Low
- CIS Controls v8 Safeguard
- 4.1
- NIST CSF 2.0 Subcategory
- PR.PS-01
- CWE
- CWE-307, CWE-308
- NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5
- AC-7, IA-2
- Benchmark Topic
- SSH server configuration: authentication restrictions (topic only, no benchmark text)
- References
- OpenBSD, sshd_config(5) manual page
Learn the theory behind this check: P2 SSH Security, P15 Access Control: Accounts, Sudo and Logins.
Source Code
The complete file that defines this check. Run it with openvapt scan --only HOST-SSH-008, or read it offline with openvapt explain HOST-SSH-008.
internal/checks/host/ssh_forwarding.go · Lines 1-121View on GitHub at This Commit
| 1 | package host |
| 2 | |
| 3 | import ( |
| 4 | "context" |
| 5 | "strconv" |
| 6 | "strings" |
| 7 | |
| 8 | "github.com/openvapt/openvapt/internal/check" |
| 9 | "github.com/openvapt/openvapt/internal/checks/collect" |
| 10 | "github.com/openvapt/openvapt/internal/sys" |
| 11 | ) |
| 12 | |
| 13 | func init() { |
| 14 | check.Register(&check.Check{ |
| 15 | ID: "HOST-SSH-007", Title: "SSH Forwarding Features Enabled", Domain: check.DomainHost, Severity: check.Medium, |
| 16 | CVSS: "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:L/I:L/A:N", |
| 17 | Summary: "Checks effective SSH Match contexts for TCP, agent, tunnel and gateway forwarding.", |
| 18 | Rationale: "Forwarding can turn an SSH account into a route to protected services or expose a user's authentication agent.", |
| 19 | Detection: "Evaluates sshd -T for root and an unprivileged user from loopback and a representative remote address. Fails when TCP or agent forwarding is enabled (both default to yes), PermitTunnel is yes, point-to-point or ethernet, or GatewayPorts is yes or clientspecified (the defaults for the last two are no). A risky value set inside a Match block in the config files fails as a conditional finding, with the Match condition in the evidence.", |
| 20 | Fix: "Set AllowTcpForwarding no, AllowAgentForwarding no, PermitTunnel no and GatewayPorts no globally or in every applicable Match block, then reload sshd.", |
| 21 | Verify: "Run sshd -T -C user=nobody,host=localhost,addr=192.0.2.1 and confirm each forwarding option is no.", |
| 22 | Refs: []check.Ref{refSSHDManual}, Standards: check.Standards{CWE: []string{"CWE-441"}, NIST: []string{"AC-4", "CM-7"}, CISTopic: "SSH server configuration: forwarding"}, |
| 23 | Run: func(ctx context.Context, s sys.System) []check.Result { |
| 24 | cfg, ok := collect.SSHD(ctx, s) |
| 25 | if !ok { |
| 26 | return []check.Result{check.SkipR("sshd", "SSH daemon configuration not found")} |
| 27 | } |
| 28 | // OpenSSH defaults: AllowTcpForwarding yes, AllowAgentForwarding |
| 29 | // yes, PermitTunnel no, GatewayPorts no. |
| 30 | bad := sshForwardingIssues(cfg) |
| 31 | if len(bad) > 0 { |
| 32 | return []check.Result{check.FailR("sshd", "SSH forwarding is enabled in at least one evaluated context", bad...)} |
| 33 | } |
| 34 | if r, bad := sshMatchFail(cfg, "SSH forwarding is enabled", "allowtcpforwarding", "allowagentforwarding", "permittunnel", "gatewayports", "x11forwarding"); bad { |
| 35 | return []check.Result{r} |
| 36 | } |
| 37 | return []check.Result{check.PassR("sshd", "SSH forwarding is disabled in all evaluated contexts")} |
| 38 | }, |
| 39 | }) |
| 40 | check.Register(&check.Check{ |
| 41 | ID: "HOST-SSH-008", Title: "SSH Authentication Controls Too Permissive", Domain: check.DomainHost, Severity: check.Low, |
| 42 | CVSS: "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N", |
| 43 | Summary: "Checks effective SSH authentication method and login grace settings.", |
| 44 | Rationale: "Long login windows and unconstrained single-factor authentication give online guessing and stolen credentials more opportunity.", |
| 45 | Detection: "Evaluates applicable Match contexts and flags LoginGraceTime over 60 seconds, or password or keyboard-interactive login enabled without an AuthenticationMethods list that requires a second method.", |
| 46 | Fix: "Set LoginGraceTime 60 or lower and choose AuthenticationMethods appropriate to the server, such as publickey, then restrict access with AllowUsers or AllowGroups where practical.", |
| 47 | Verify: "Use sshd -T -C for each allowed user and source context and inspect logingracetime, authenticationmethods, allowusers and allowgroups.", |
| 48 | Refs: []check.Ref{refSSHDManual}, Standards: check.Standards{CWE: []string{"CWE-307", "CWE-308"}, NIST: []string{"AC-7", "IA-2"}, CISTopic: "SSH server configuration: authentication restrictions"}, |
| 49 | Run: func(ctx context.Context, s sys.System) []check.Result { |
| 50 | cfg, ok := collect.SSHD(ctx, s) |
| 51 | if !ok { |
| 52 | return []check.Result{check.SkipR("sshd", "SSH daemon configuration not found")} |
| 53 | } |
| 54 | grace := 120 |
| 55 | if v := strings.TrimSuffix(cfg["logingracetime"], "s"); v != "" { |
| 56 | if n, err := strconv.Atoi(v); err == nil { |
| 57 | grace = n |
| 58 | } |
| 59 | } |
| 60 | var bad []string |
| 61 | if grace > 60 { |
| 62 | bad = append(bad, "logingracetime "+strconv.Itoa(grace)) |
| 63 | } |
| 64 | if sshPasswordLike(cfg) && !sshMultiFactor(cfg["authenticationmethods"]) { |
| 65 | bad = append(bad, "password or keyboard-interactive login enabled without a second factor (authenticationmethods "+orDefault(cfg["authenticationmethods"])+")") |
| 66 | } |
| 67 | if len(bad) > 0 { |
| 68 | return []check.Result{check.FailR("sshd", "SSH authentication restrictions are too permissive", bad...)} |
| 69 | } |
| 70 | return []check.Result{check.PassR("sshd", "SSH authentication restrictions are configured")} |
| 71 | }, |
| 72 | }) |
| 73 | } |
| 74 | |
| 75 | // sshForwardingIssues lists forwarding settings that are enabled, applying |
| 76 | // OpenSSH defaults for unset keywords. |
| 77 | func sshForwardingIssues(cfg map[string]string) []string { |
| 78 | var bad []string |
| 79 | for _, k := range []string{"allowtcpforwarding", "allowagentforwarding"} { |
| 80 | switch v := cfg[k]; v { |
| 81 | case "": |
| 82 | bad = append(bad, k+" default yes") |
| 83 | case "yes", "all", "local", "remote": |
| 84 | bad = append(bad, k+" "+v) |
| 85 | } |
| 86 | } |
| 87 | switch v := cfg["permittunnel"]; v { |
| 88 | case "yes", "point-to-point", "ethernet": |
| 89 | bad = append(bad, "permittunnel "+v) |
| 90 | } |
| 91 | switch v := cfg["gatewayports"]; v { |
| 92 | case "yes", "clientspecified": |
| 93 | bad = append(bad, "gatewayports "+v) |
| 94 | } |
| 95 | return bad |
| 96 | } |
| 97 | |
| 98 | // sshPasswordLike reports whether password or keyboard-interactive |
| 99 | // authentication is enabled (PasswordAuthentication defaults to yes). |
| 100 | func sshPasswordLike(cfg map[string]string) bool { |
| 101 | kbd := cfg["kbdinteractiveauthentication"] |
| 102 | if kbd == "" { |
| 103 | kbd = cfg["challengeresponseauthentication"] |
| 104 | } |
| 105 | pw := cfg["passwordauthentication"] |
| 106 | return pw == "" || pw == "yes" || kbd == "yes" |
| 107 | } |
| 108 | |
| 109 | // sshMultiFactor reports whether every AuthenticationMethods list requires at |
| 110 | // least two methods, for example "publickey,keyboard-interactive". |
| 111 | func sshMultiFactor(methods string) bool { |
| 112 | if methods == "" || methods == "any" { |
| 113 | return false |
| 114 | } |
| 115 | for _, list := range strings.Fields(methods) { |
| 116 | if !strings.Contains(list, ",") { |
| 117 | return false |
| 118 | } |
| 119 | } |
| 120 | return true |
| 121 | } |
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APA 7
OpenVAPT. (2026). HOST-SSH-008 SSH Authentication Controls Too Permissive (Version 0.1.0-alpha.6). OpenVAPT Check Catalogue. Retrieved October 16, 2026, from https://openvapt.com/checks/HOST-SSH-008.html
In text: (OpenVAPT, 2026). Accessed: the date shown is today's date from your own browser (the site's build date without JavaScript); change it to the day you read the page.
BibTeX
@misc{openvapt_host_ssh_008,
author = {{OpenVAPT}},
title = {{HOST-SSH-008 SSH Authentication Controls Too Permissive}},
year = {2026},
howpublished = {\url{https://openvapt.com/checks/HOST-SSH-008.html}},
note = {OpenVAPT Check Catalogue, version 0.1.0-alpha.6. Accessed 16 October 2026}
}
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Citing OpenVAPT does not mean OpenVAPT endorses, approves or has reviewed your work.