Other Articles
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- Servers – Configure /tmp Partition
- Servers – Configure /home Partition
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- Servers – Configure Message of the Day (MOTD) Permissions
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- Servers – Ensure No Duplicate User Names Exist
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- Servers – Ensure Minimum Days Between Password Changes is 7 or More
- Servers – Ensure Password Expiration Warning Days is 7 or More
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- Servers – Ensure All Users Last Password Change Date is in the Past
- Servers – Ensure System Accounts Are Secured
- Servers – Ensure Default Group for Root Account is GID 0
- Servers – Verify Default User Umask
- Servers – Ensure Default User Shell Timeout is 900 Seconds or Less
- Servers – Ensure Root Login is Restricted to System Console
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Servers – Configure Local Login Banner
Support > Fixing Checks > Server
05 March, 2026
This check ensures that the local login warning banner is configured properly. The contents of the /etc/issue file are displayed to users before login on local terminals.
Login banners should display security warnings and legal notices informing users about authorized usage and monitoring policies. The banner must not expose sensitive system information such as operating system name, version, release, or system architecture.
Check Details
- Resource: Server
- Check: Configure Local Login Banner
- Risk: If the login banner exposes operating system information such as system architecture, OS release, or version details, attackers may use this information to identify vulnerabilities and perform targeted attacks.
Remediation Steps
- Open a terminal session on the target server with root or sudo privileges.
- Edit the /etc/issue file and configure the login banner according to your organization's security policy.
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Ensure that the banner does not expose operating system information. Remove any instances of the following:
\m– machine architecture\r– operating system release\s– operating system name\v– operating system version
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Configure a warning banner message by running the following command:
echo "Authorized uses only. All activity may be monitored and reported." > /etc/issue
Note: On Container-Optimized OS, the /etc directory is stateless.
Therefore, the steps mentioned above need to be performed after every boot.