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← Back to Oracle Linux 8 Security Technical Implementation Guide

V-248593

CAT II (Medium)

OL 8 must not let Meltdown and Spectre exploit critical vulnerabilities in modern processors.

Rule ID

SV-248593r1069159_rule

STIG

Oracle Linux 8 Security Technical Implementation Guide

Version

V2R8

CCIs

CCI-000366

Discussion

Hardware vulnerabilities allow programs to steal data that is currently processed on the computer. While programs are typically not permitted to read data from other programs, a malicious program can exploit Meltdown and Spectre to obtain secrets stored in the memory of other running programs. This might include passwords stored in a password manager or browser; personal photos, emails, and instant messages; and business-critical documents.

Check Content

Verify OL 8 is configured to enable mitigations with the following command:

$ grubby --info=/boot/vmlinuz-$(uname -r) | grep mitigations

If the "mitigations" parameter is set to "off" (mitigations=off), this is a finding.

Note: The default behavior of the kernel is to enable mitigations for vulnerabilities like Meltdown and Spectre based on hardware and system requirements. Therefore, if the "mitigation" parameter is not present or if it is set to on this is not a finding.

Fix Text

Determine the default kernel:  
 
$ sudo grubby --default-kernel 
 
/boot/vmlinuz-5.4.17-2011.1.2.el8uek.x86_64 

Using the default kernel, remove the argument that sets the Meltdown mitigations to "off": 
 
$ sudo grubby --update-kernel=<path-to-default-kernel>  --remove-args=mitigations=off 
 
Reboot the system for the change to take effect.