RHEL 9 must not allow unattended or automatic logon via the graphical user interface.
Severity | Group ID | Group Title | Version | Rule ID | Date | STIG Version |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| high | V-258018 | SRG-OS-000480-GPOS-00229 | RHEL-09-271040 | SV-258018r1045090_rule | 2026-02-05 | 2 |
Description
Failure to restrict system access to authenticated users negatively impacts operating system security.
ℹ️ Check
Note: This requirement assumes the use of the RHEL 9 default graphical user interface, the GNOME desktop environment. If the system does not have any graphical user interface installed, this requirement is Not Applicable.
Verify RHEL 9 does not allow an unattended or automatic logon to the system via a graphical user interface.
Check for the value of the "AutomaticLoginEnable" in the "/etc/gdm/custom.conf" file with the following command:
$ grep -i automaticlogin /etc/gdm/custom.conf
AutomaticLoginEnable=false
If the value of "AutomaticLoginEnable" is not set to "false", this is a finding.
✔️ Fix
Configure the GNOME desktop display manager to disable automatic login.
Set AutomaticLoginEnable to false in the [daemon] section in /etc/gdm/custom.conf. For example:
[daemon]
AutomaticLoginEnable=false