xccdf:sub elements commented out

Simon Lukasik slukasik at redhat.com
Tue Mar 18 14:46:45 UTC 2014


Hello,

I have noticed that in the content there is often xccdf:sub element 
commented out (or even omitted). I wonder why these elements are 
commented out. I thought, perhaps there was some problem in OpenSCAP 
which have hold you from usage of sub elements.

As a reminder, xccdf:sub elements can be used within a Rule's title, 
description, or fix elements. Each xccdf:sub element refers to a XCCDF 
variable. The value of variable depends on selected profile. During a 
content processing, the xccdf:sub elements shall get resolved according 
to the profile.

I have recently reviewed and fixed OpenSCAP and SCAP-Workbench tools in 
regard to the xccdf:sub processing. Please consider using/uncommneting 
xccdf:sub elements.

The following snippets from ssg-rhel6-xccdf.xml illustrate the current 
(non-)usage of sub elements:

(1)
PASS_MIN_LEN 14<!-- <sub 
idref="var_accounts_password_minlen_login_defs"> -->

(2)
the following lines in <xhtml:code>/etc/default/useradd</xhtml:code>, 
substituting
<xhtml:code><i 
xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">NUM_DAYS</i></xhtml:code> 
appropriately:
<pre xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">INACTIVE=<i>NUM_DAYS</i></pre>

(3)
to require differing
characters when changing passwords, substituting <i 
xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">NUM</i> appropriately.
The DoD requirement is <xhtml:code>4</xhtml:code>.

(4)
umask 077<!-- <sub idref="var_accounts_user_umask" /> -->

(5)
Modify the following line,
substituting <i xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">ACTION</i> 
appropriately:
<pre xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">space_left_action = 
<i>ACTION</i></pre>
Possible values for <i xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">ACTION</i> 
are described in the <xhtml:code>auditd.conf</xhtml:code> man page.

-- 
Simon Lukasik
Security Technologies, Red Hat, Inc.


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