The .Xauthority files must not have extended ACLs.
Severity | Group ID | Group Title | Version | Rule ID | Date | STIG Version |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| medium | V-216310 | SRG-OS-000480 | SOL-11.1-020520 | SV-216310r959010_rule | 2026-02-19 | 3 |
Description
.Xauthority files ensure the user is authorized to access the specific X Windows host. Extended ACLs may permit unauthorized modification of these files, which could lead to Denial of Service to authorized access or allow unauthorized access to be obtained.
ℹ️ Check
If X Display Manager (XDM) is not used on the system, this is not applicable.
Determine if XDM is running.
Procedure:
# ps -ef | grep xdm
Check the file permissions for the .Xauthority files.
# ls -lL .Xauthority
If the permissions include a "+", the file has an extended ACL and this is a finding.
✔️ Fix
Remove the extended ACL from the file.
# chmod A- .Xauthority