Rule version TOSS-05-000109 · STIG v1 · 2026-08-20
Loading and accessing the packet filters programs and maps using the "bpf()" system call has the potential of revealing sensitive information about the kernel state.
Verify TOSS 5 prevents privilege escalation through the kernel by disabling access to the bpf system call using the following command:
$ sudo sysctl kernel.unprivileged_bpf_disabled
kernel.unprivileged_bpf_disabled = 1
If the returned line does not have a value of "1", or a line is not returned, this is a finding.
Configure TOSS 5 to prevent privilege escalation through the kernel by disabling access to the bpf syscall by adding the following line to a file, in the "/etc/sysctl.d" directory:
kernel.unprivileged_bpf_disabled = 1
The system configuration files must be reloaded for the changes to take effect. To reload the contents of the files, run the following command:
$ sudo sysctl --system