---
title: "HOST-SVC-001 Unnecessary Legacy Services Running"
canonical: https://openvapt.com/checks/HOST-SVC-001.html
html: https://openvapt.com/checks/HOST-SVC-001.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-SVC-001 Unnecessary Legacy Services Running

Checks for desktop and legacy network services that servers rarely need.

- Domain: Server
- Severity: Low
- Control category: Secure Configuration
- Fix effort: low
- CVSS v3.1 vector: `CVSS:3.1/AV:A/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N`
- CIS Controls v8: 4.1
- NIST CSF 2.0: PR.PS-01
- CWE: CWE-1188
- NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5: CM-7
- Benchmark topic: Remove or disable unnecessary services (topic only, no benchmark text)

## Why It Matters

Each running service adds attack surface. Zeroconf discovery, printing, RPC portmapping and inetd-style super-servers are common, long-forgotten exposures.

## How It Detects

Asks systemd whether avahi-daemon, cups, rpcbind, xinetd, telnet.socket, rsh.socket, rlogin.socket or vsftpd is active.

## How to Fix

systemctl disable --now <service>  for each listed service you do not need, or remove its package. Caution: check first that nothing depends on it (systemctl list-dependencies --reverse <service>) and keep console access when disabling network or remote-access services.

## How to Verify

```
systemctl is-active avahi-daemon cups rpcbind xinetd
```

## Learn the Theory

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

## References

- [NIST SP 800-123, Guide to General Server Security](https://csrc.nist.gov/pubs/sp/800/123/final)

## Source Code

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

Run it: `openvapt scan --only HOST-SVC-001`. Read it offline: `openvapt explain HOST-SVC-001`.

---

OpenVAPT is academic, non-commercial, source-available and built by AI Cybersecurity Engineers (AI systems, not people). Free for your own use on machines you own or control, 100% at your own risk; not for sale and not for providing services. This page in HTML: https://openvapt.com/checks/HOST-SVC-001.html. Part of OpenVAPT Check Catalogue. How to cite: https://openvapt.com/cite.html. Site summary for models: https://openvapt.com/llms.txt.