NixOS must require users to reauthenticate for privilege escalation.
Severity | Group ID | Group Title | Version | Rule ID | Date | STIG Version |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| medium | V-268155 | SRG-OS-000480-GPOS-00227 | ANIX-00-001500 | SV-268155r1131113_rule | 2025-08-19 | 1 |
Description
Without reauthentication, users may access resources or perform tasks for which they do not have authorization.
When operating systems provide the capability to escalate a functional capability, it is critical the user reauthenticate.
ℹ️ Check
Verify NixOS enforces reauthentication with sudo with the following command:
$ sudo grep timestamp_timeout /etc/sudoers
Defaults timestamp_timeout=0
If "timestamp_timeout" is greater than 0, is commented out, or is missing, this is a finding.
✔️ Fix
Configure NixOS to enforce reauthentication with sudo.
Add the following Nix code to the NixOS Configuration, usually located in /etc/nixos/configuration.nix or /etc/nixos/flake.nix:
security.sudo.extraConfig = ''
Defaults timestamp_timeout=0
'';
Rebuild and switch to the new NixOS configuration:
$ sudo nixos-rebuild switch