NixOS must not have the telnet package installed.
Severity | Group ID | Group Title | Version | Rule ID | Date | STIG Version |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| high | V-268131 | SRG-OS-000074-GPOS-00042 | ANIX-00-000780 | SV-268131r1131067_rule | 2025-08-19 | 1 |
Description
Passwords need to be protected at all times, and encryption is the standard method for protecting passwords. If passwords are not encrypted, they can be plainly read (i.e., clear text) and easily compromised.
ℹ️ Check
Ensure the telnet package is not installed and available with the following command:
$ whereis telnet
telnet:
If there is a path, and the output looks like "telnet: /nix/store/sqiphymcpky1yysgdc1aj4lr9jg9n53a-inetutils-2.2/bin/telnet", this is a finding.
✔️ Fix
Edit the NixOS Configuration file /etc/nixos/configuration.nix or /etc/nixos/flake.nix and remove any references to pkgs.libtelnet, pkgs.busybox, or pkgs.inetutils from the environment.systemPackages list.
Rebuild and switch to the new NixOS configuration:
$ sudo nixos-rebuild switch