HRDN-7222 - Permissions on installed compilers
This information is provided as part of the Lynis community project. It is related to Lynis control HRDN-7222 and should be considered as-is and without guarantees. Any advice and commands should be tested before implementing them in production environments.
| Control details | |
|---|---|
| Category | Hardening |
| Application | |
Description
How to solve
Compilers are used for translating source code into machine language. This process happens usually during the development cycle, or by package maintainers. Although many systems have a compiler installed, it is often not used. That is an unnecessary risk.
Evildoers might abuse the presence of a compiler to make their malicious attacks work. Due to protections in the Linux kernel, memory allocation and execution of processes, is limited. To circumvent these protections, a compiler on the related system is needed, so the attacker can determine specific memory locations and leverage a so-called exploit.
Hardening options
When possible, removal of any unneeded compilers is the best option. This prevents users from compiling source code into binary programs. This is unusual for a production server, as most software comes precompiled. If you still need the compilers on your system, consider changing the file permissions or file ownership. This way only the root, or other privileged users, can use the compiler.
Additional resources
- Audit installed compilers and their packages (Insights on how to check what compilers are installed.)
- Understanding Linux Privilege Escalation (Understanding the how software is abused to gain a high level of privileges.)
Need more details?
Consider the upgrade to Lynis Enterprise to receive additional details and guidance. The Enterprise version helps to you with daily health checks of your environment, learn in-depth system hardening, and resources to protect your systems better.
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