HP-UX System Administrator's Guide: Security Management HP-UX 11i v3 (B3921-90020, September 2010)
Table Of Contents
- HP-UX System Administrator's Guide: Security Management
- Table of Contents
- About this Document
- Part I Protecting Systems
- 1 Installing the HP-UX Operating Environment Securely
- 1.1 Installation Security Considerations
- 1.2 Preventing Security Breaches During the Boot Process
- 1.3 Enable Login Security for root
- 1.4 Using Boot Authentication to Prevent Unauthorized Access
- 1.5 Setting Install-Time Security Options
- 1.6 Installing Security Patches
- 1.7 Postinstallation Security Tips for Backup and Recovery
- 2 Administering User and System Security
- 2.1 Managing User Access
- 2.2 Authenticating Users During Login
- 2.3 Authenticating Users with PAM
- 2.4 Managing Passwords
- 2.4.1 System Administrator Responsibilities
- 2.4.2 User Responsibilities
- 2.4.3 Criteria of a Good Password
- 2.4.4 Changing the /etc/passwd Password File
- 2.4.5 The /etc/shadow Shadow Password File
- 2.4.6 Eliminating Pseudo-Accounts and Protecting Key Subsystems in /etc/passwd
- 2.4.7 Secure Login with HP-UX Secure Shell
- 2.4.8 Securing Passwords Stored in NIS
- 2.4.9 Securing Passwords Stored in LDAP Directory Server
- 2.5 Defining System Security Attributes
- 2.6 Handling setuid and setgid Programs
- 2.7 Preventing Stack Buffer Overflow Attacks
- 2.8 Protecting Unattended Terminals and Workstations
- 2.9 Protecting Against System Access by Remote Devices
- 2.10 Securing Login Banners
- 2.11 Protecting the root Account
- 3 HP-UX Standard Mode Security Extensions
- 4 Remote Access Security Administration
- 4.1 Overview of Internet Services and Remote Access Services
- 4.2 The inetd Daemon
- 4.3 Protection Against Spoofing with TCP Wrappers
- 4.4 Secure Internet Services
- 4.5 Controlling an Administrative Domain
- 4.6 Securing Remote Sessions Using HP-UX Secure Shell (SSH)
- 4.6.1 Key Security Features of HP-UX Secure Shell
- 4.6.2 Software Components of HP-UX Secure Shell
- 4.6.3 Running HP-UX Secure Shell
- 4.6.4 HP-UX Secure Shell Privilege Separation
- 4.6.5 HP-UX Secure Shell Authentication
- 4.6.6 Communication Protocols
- 4.6.7 HP-UX Secure Shell and the HP-UX System
- 4.6.8 Associated Technologies
- 4.6.9 Strong Random Number Generator Requirement
- 4.6.10 TCP Wrappers Support
- 4.6.11 chroot Directory Jail
- 1 Installing the HP-UX Operating Environment Securely
- Part II Protecting Data
- 5 File System Security
- 5.1 Controlling File Access
- 5.2 Setting Access Control Lists
- 5.3 Using HFS ACLs
- 5.4 Using JFS ACLs
- 5.4.1 Definition of a JFS ACL
- 5.4.2 How the System Generates a JFS ACL
- 5.4.3 Minimal JFS ACL
- 5.4.4 Additional JFS ACL user and group Entries
- 5.4.5 JFS ACL group and class Entries
- 5.4.6 Using the setacl and getacl Commands
- 5.4.7 Effect of chmod on class Entries
- 5.4.8 Example of Changing a Minimal JFS ACL
- 5.4.9 Default JFS ACLs
- 5.4.10 Changing JFS ACL with the setacl Command
- 5.5 Comparison of JFS and HFS ACLs
- 5.6 ACLs and NFS
- 5.7 Security Considerations for /dev Device Special Files
- 5.8 Protecting Disk Partitions and Logical Volumes
- 5.9 Security Guidelines for Mounting and Unmounting File Systems
- 5.10 Controlling File Security on a Network
- 6 Compartments
- 7 Fine-Grained Privileges
- 5 File System Security
- Part III Protecting Identity
- 8 HP-UX Role-Based Access Control
- 8.1 Overview
- 8.2 Access Control Basics
- 8.3 HP-UX RBAC Components
- 8.4 Planning the HP-UX RBAC Deployment
- 8.5 Configuring HP-UX RBAC
- 8.6 Using HP-UX RBAC
- 8.7 Troubleshooting HP-UX RBAC
- 9 Audit Administration
- 8 HP-UX Role-Based Access Control
- A Trusted Systems
- B Other Security Products
- B.1 HP-UX AAA Server (RADIUS)
- B.2 HP-UX Bastille
- B.3 HP-UX Directory Server
- B.4 HP-UX Encrypted Volume and File System (EVFS)
- B.5 HP-UX HIDS
- B.6 HP-UX IPFilter
- B.7 HP-UX IPSec
- B.8 HP-UX LDAP-UX Integration
- B.9 HP-UX Secure Resource Partitions (SRP)
- B.10 HP-UX Secure Shell
- B.11 HP-UX Trusted Computing Services
- B.12 Security Patches
- Glossary
- Index

NOTE: Shadow passwords are not supported with LDAP-UX. Instead, LDAP-UX
provides the ability to hide user passwords in the directory server itself. LDAP-UX
also enforces centralized security policies, similar to /etc/shadow, based on the
security policy of the directory server.
Shadow passwords are not supported by the applications that expect passwords to
reside in /etc/passwd.
For more information, see the following manpages:
passwd(1), pwck(1M), pwconv(1M), pwunconv(1M), getspent(3C), putspent(3C),
nsswitch.conf(4), passwd(4), security(4), shadow(4)
2.4.6 Eliminating Pseudo-Accounts and Protecting Key Subsystems in /etc/passwd
By tradition, the /etc/passwd file contains numerous “pseudo-accounts,” which are
entries not associated with individual users and which do not have true interactive
login shells.
Some of these entries, such as date, who, sync, and tty, evolved strictly for user
convenience, providing commands that could be executed without logging in. To
tighten security, they have been eliminated in the distributed /etc/passwd so that
these programs can be run only by a user who is logged in.
Other such entries remain in /etc/passwd because they are owners of files. Programs
with owners such as adm, bin, daemon, hpdb, lp, and uucp encompass entire
subsystems, and represent a special case. Because they grant access to files they protect
or use, these programs must be allowed to function as pseudo-accounts, with entries
listed in /etc/passwd. The customary pseudo- and special accounts are shown in
Example 2-1.
Example 2-1 Pseudo- and Special System Accounts
root::0:3::/:/sbin/sh
daemon:*:1:5::/:/sbin/sh
bin:*:2:2::/usr/bin:/sbin/sh
sys:*:3:3::/:
adm:*:4:4::/var/adm:/sbin/sh
uucp:*:5:3::/var/spool/uucppublic:/usr/lbin/uucp/uucico
lp:*:9:7::/var/spool/lp:/sbin/sh
nuucp:*:11:11::/var/spool/uucppublic:/usr/lbin/uucp/uucico
hpdb:*:27:1:ALLBASE:/:/sbin/sh
nobody:*:-2:-2::/:
The key to the privileged status of these subsystems is their ability to grant access to
programs under their jurisdiction without granting root access (uid 0). Instead, the
setuid bit for the executable file is set and the effective user of the process corresponds
2.4 Managing Passwords 45