Ensure sudo timestamp_type is configured

MediumLevel 1Automatedlinux

Description

After a successful authentication, sudo caches the credential for a short period. The timestamp_type option controls the scope of that cached credential: tty (per terminal, the default), ppid (per parent process), kernel, or global (one record shared by all of the user's processes and sessions).

How it is checked

Audit method: Shell command

shell

alt0() { command -v grep >/dev/null 2>&1 || { echo "step1: grep not installed"; return 1; }; o=$(bash -c 'grep -rPi -- '"'"'timestamp_type\h*=\h*global'"'"' /etc/sudoers /etc/sudoers.d/' 2>/dev/null); [ -z "$o" ] || { echo "step1: $o" | head -c 300; return 1; }; }; if alt0; then echo compliant; fi

Expected output: compliant

How it is fixed

Fix method: Guidance or infrastructure patch

Ensure the sudo authentication timestamp is scoped to the terminal rather than shared globally. Edit the appropriate sudoers file with visudo and remove any Defaults timestamp_type=global, or set a non-global value: # visudo Defaults timestamp_type=tty

Properties

Operating systems: almalinux-9
Tags: cis-convertedlinux
Reference: CIS AlmaLinux OS 9 Benchmark v3.0.0 - 5.2.11

Check this host

Run this on a machine you are allowed to audit. The scan is read-only.

shell

tmaegis scan --target linux