RHEL 9 must enable FIPS mode.

Severity	Group ID	Group Title	Version	Rule ID	Date	STIG Version
high	V-258230	SRG-OS-000033-GPOS-00014	RHEL-09-671010	SV-258230r958408_rule	2025-02-27	2

Description
Use of weak or untested encryption algorithms undermines the purposes of utilizing encryption to protect data. The operating system must implement cryptographic modules adhering to the higher standards approved by the federal government since this provides assurance they have been tested and validated. This includes NIST FIPS-validated cryptography for the following: Provisioning digital signatures, generating cryptographic hashes, and to protect data requiring data-at-rest protections in accordance with applicable federal laws, Executive Orders, directives, policies, regulations, and standards. Satisfies: SRG-OS-000033-GPOS-00014, SRG-OS-000125-GPOS-00065, SRG-OS-000396-GPOS-00176, SRG-OS-000423-GPOS-00187, SRG-OS-000478-GPOS-00223

Description

Use of weak or untested encryption algorithms undermines the purposes of utilizing encryption to protect data. The operating system must implement cryptographic modules adhering to the higher standards approved by the federal government since this provides assurance they have been tested and validated. This includes NIST FIPS-validated cryptography for the following: Provisioning digital signatures, generating cryptographic hashes, and to protect data requiring data-at-rest protections in accordance with applicable federal laws, Executive Orders, directives, policies, regulations, and standards. Satisfies: SRG-OS-000033-GPOS-00014, SRG-OS-000125-GPOS-00065, SRG-OS-000396-GPOS-00176, SRG-OS-000423-GPOS-00187, SRG-OS-000478-GPOS-00223

ℹ️ Check
Verify that RHEL 9 is in FIPS mode with the following command: $ sudo fips-mode-setup --check FIPS mode is enabled. If FIPS mode is not enabled, this is a finding.

✔️ Fix
Configure the operating system to implement FIPS mode with the following command $ sudo fips-mode-setup --enable Reboot the system for the changes to take effect.