RHEL 9 SSH public host key files must have mode 0644 or less permissive.
Severity | Group ID | Group Title | Version | Rule ID | Date | STIG Version |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| medium | V-258001 | SRG-OS-000480-GPOS-00227 | RHEL-09-255125 | SV-258001r991589_rule | 2026-02-05 | 2 |
Description
If a public host key file is modified by an unauthorized user, the SSH service may be compromised.
ℹ️ Check
Verify the SSH public host key files have a mode of "0644" or less permissive with the following command:
Note: SSH public key files may be found in other directories on the system depending on the installation.
$ sudo stat -c "%a %n" /etc/ssh/*.pub
644 /etc/ssh/ssh_host_dsa_key.pub
644 /etc/ssh/ssh_host_ecdsa_key.pub
644 /etc/ssh/ssh_host_ed25519_key.pub
644 /etc/ssh/ssh_host_rsa_key.pub
If any key.pub file has a mode more permissive than "0644", this is a finding.
✔️ Fix
Change the mode of public host key files under "/etc/ssh" to "0644" with the following command:
$ sudo chmod 0644 /etc/ssh/*key.pub
Restart the SSH daemon for the changes to take effect:
$ sudo systemctl restart sshd.service