STIGQter: STIG Summary: Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10 Security Technical Implementation Guide Version: 1 Release: 2 Benchmark Date: 01 Jul 2026:

RHEL 10 must require authentication to access single-user mode.

DISA Rule

SV-281328r1167134_rule

Vulnerability Number

V-281328

Group Title

SRG-OS-000080-GPOS-00048

Rule Version

RHEL-10-701260

Severity

CAT II

CCI(s)

• CCI-000213 - Enforce approved authorizations for logical access to information and system resources in accordance with applicable access control policies.

Weight

10

Fix Recommendation

Configure RHEL 10 to require authentication for single-user mode.

Create a directory for supplementary configuration files:

$ sudo mkdir /etc/systemd/system/rescue.service.d/

Copy the original "rescue.service" file to the new directory with:

$ sudo cp /usr/lib/systemd/system/rescue.service /etc/systemd/system/rescue.service.d/rescue.service.conf

Open the new file:

$ sudo vi /etc/systemd/system/rescue.service.d/rescue.service.conf

Add or modify the following line in the new file:

ExecStart=-/usr/lib/systemd/systemd-sulogin-shell rescue

Comment out or remove the "ExecStart" and "ExecStartPre" lines in "/usr/lib/systemd/system/rescue.service" as they can only exist in one location.

Apply changes to unit files without rebooting the system:

$ sudo systemctl daemon-reload

Check Contents

Verify RHEL 10 requires authentication for single-user mode with the following command:

$ sudo grep systemd-sulogin /usr/lib/systemd/system/rescue.service
# ExecStart=-/usr/lib/systemd/systemd-sulogin-shell rescue

If the line is not returned from the default "systemd" file, use the following command to look for modifications to "rescue.service":

$ sudo grep systemd-sulogin /etc/systemd/system/rescue.service.d/*.conf
ExecStart=-/usr/lib/systemd/systemd-sulogin-shell rescue

If the line is not returned from either location, this is a finding.

Note: The configuration setting can be in either the default location or the drop-in file but not in both locations.

Vulnerability Number

V-281328

Documentable

False

Rule Version

RHEL-10-701260

Severity Override Guidance

Verify RHEL 10 requires authentication for single-user mode with the following command:

$ sudo grep systemd-sulogin /usr/lib/systemd/system/rescue.service
# ExecStart=-/usr/lib/systemd/systemd-sulogin-shell rescue

If the line is not returned from the default "systemd" file, use the following command to look for modifications to "rescue.service":

$ sudo grep systemd-sulogin /etc/systemd/system/rescue.service.d/*.conf
ExecStart=-/usr/lib/systemd/systemd-sulogin-shell rescue

If the line is not returned from either location, this is a finding.

Note: The configuration setting can be in either the default location or the drop-in file but not in both locations.

Check Content Reference

M

Target Key

5733