{
  "id": "CB-UBU-PKG-014",
  "standard": "ubuntu",
  "version": "0.1.0",
  "url": "https://baselines.cirsec.org/b/ubuntu/v0.1.0/CB-UBU-PKG-014",
  "json": "https://baselines.cirsec.org/b/ubuntu/v0.1.0/CB-UBU-PKG-014.json",
  "yaml": "https://baselines.cirsec.org/b/ubuntu/v0.1.0/CB-UBU-PKG-014.yml",
  "profiles_effective": [
    "server",
    "server-hardened",
    "desktop-hardened"
  ],
  "license": "Text CC BY 4.0, code Apache-2.0",
  "attribution": "CIRSEC Baselines, https://baselines.cirsec.org",
  "control": {
    "id": "CB-UBU-PKG-014",
    "title": "Receive security updates for every installed package, including universe (Ubuntu Pro esm-apps)",
    "finding": {
      "title": "Packages from universe are installed without Ubuntu Pro esm-apps",
      "description": "The Ubuntu Security Team does not commit to fix the universe packages of this system, so their vulnerabilities can stay open."
    },
    "status": "active",
    "profiles": [
      "server",
      "desktop-hardened"
    ],
    "risk": {
      "severity": "medium"
    },
    "assessment": "automated",
    "tags": [
      "updates",
      "ubuntu-pro",
      "esm"
    ],
    "description": "Ubuntu standard security maintenance covers the main and restricted components only. Packages\nof the universe component (and multiverse) get fixes from the community, on a best-effort\nbasis, and many known vulnerabilities in universe stay unfixed. Expanded Security Maintenance\nfor Applications (`esm-apps`), part of Ubuntu Pro, extends Canonical's security maintenance to\nuniverse, from the release of an LTS to the end of its ESM period.\n\n`pro security-status` counts the installed packages per component and shows which Ubuntu Pro\nservices are enabled. The control fails only when packages from universe are installed and\n`esm-apps` is not enabled. A system with packages from main and restricted only passes without\nUbuntu Pro.\n",
    "rationale": "Universe holds most of the archive, including common server software (web and\ndatabase servers, language runtimes, agents). A universe package installed for one need is as\nexposed as a main package, but without a commitment to fix it. With `esm-apps`, the fixes are\npublished in the `<codename>-apps-security` pocket and installed by unattended-upgrades like\nthe others.\n",
    "impact": "Needs an Ubuntu Pro subscription for each system (free for a few personal machines). Without\nit, remove the universe packages or replace them with packages from main, a vendor repository\nor a supported snap. The esm-apps repository needs access to `esm.ubuntu.com` (or an internal\nmirror).\n",
    "notes": "The check needs the Ubuntu Pro client (`ubuntu-pro-client`, installed by default on every\nrelease) and fresh package lists. A single universe package is enough to fail, for example\n`qemu-guest-agent` installed on virtual machines. Multiverse packages (not free software)\nare not counted.\n",
    "setting": {
      "location": "Ubuntu Pro client status (pro status, pro security-status)",
      "default_value": "Not attached to Ubuntu Pro, esm-apps disabled",
      "recommended_value": "No universe package installed, or esm-apps enabled"
    },
    "audit": {
      "manual": "1. Run `pro security-status`. If it reports no package from Universe/Multiverse, or only from\n   multiverse (`pro security-status --format json`, `num_universe_packages` is 0), the control\n   passes.\n2. Otherwise `pro status` must show the system attached and `esm-apps` enabled.\n   `pro security-status --esm-apps` lists the universe packages concerned.\n",
      "checks": [
        {
          "id": "esm-apps",
          "engine": "shell",
          "description": "Installed universe packages and the esm-apps service, from pro security-status.",
          "spec": {
            "script": "command -v pro >/dev/null || { echo \"Ubuntu Pro client (pro) is not installed\"; exit 3; }\nj=$(pro security-status --format json 2>/dev/null) || { echo \"pro security-status failed\"; exit 3; }\nprintf '%s' \"$j\" | python3 -c '\nimport json, sys\ns = json.load(sys.stdin)[\"summary\"]\nn = s.get(\"num_universe_packages\", 0) + s.get(\"num_esm_apps_packages\", 0)\non = \"esm-apps\" in s.get(\"ua\", {}).get(\"enabled_services\", [])\nprint(\"%d packages from universe, attached to Ubuntu Pro: %s, esm-apps %s\" % (n, s.get(\"ua\", {}).get(\"attached\"), \"enabled\" if on else \"not enabled\"))\nsys.exit(1 if n and not on else 0)'\n"
          }
        }
      ]
    },
    "remediation": {
      "manual": "1. Attach the system to Ubuntu Pro: `pro attach <token>` (token from https://ubuntu.com/pro\n   or the organisation's Ubuntu Pro account), or use an Ubuntu Pro image of the cloud\n   provider, or Landscape.\n2. Run `pro enable esm-apps` if it is not enabled by the attachment, then `apt-get update` and\n   `apt-get upgrade` to install the pending ESM fixes.\n3. Without a subscription, remove the universe packages that are not needed\n   (`pro security-status --esm-apps` lists them), and document the remaining ones as an\n   accepted risk in the tailoring file.\n\nNo automated fix: attaching needs the organisation's token, which must not be stored in the\nbaseline.\n"
    },
    "references": [
      {
        "title": "Ubuntu Pro Client - About Expanded Security Maintenance",
        "url": "https://documentation.ubuntu.com/pro-client/en/latest/explanations/about_esm/",
        "publisher": "Canonical",
        "kind": "vendor-doc",
        "accessed": "2026-10-19"
      },
      {
        "title": "Ubuntu - Expanded Security Maintenance",
        "url": "https://ubuntu.com/security/esm",
        "publisher": "Canonical",
        "kind": "vendor-doc",
        "accessed": "2026-10-19"
      },
      {
        "title": "Ubuntu Pro",
        "url": "https://ubuntu.com/pro",
        "publisher": "Canonical",
        "kind": "vendor-doc",
        "accessed": "2026-10-19"
      },
      {
        "title": "pro(1), Ubuntu manual pages",
        "url": "https://manpages.ubuntu.com/manpages/noble/man1/pro.1.html",
        "publisher": "Canonical",
        "kind": "vendor-doc",
        "accessed": "2026-10-19"
      }
    ],
    "mappings": [
      {
        "framework": "nist-800-53r5",
        "framework_version": "5.1.1",
        "id": "SI-2",
        "relation": "partial",
        "note": "Covers the vendor support of every installed package, a prerequisite for flaw remediation."
      },
      {
        "framework": "nist-800-53r5",
        "framework_version": "5.1.1",
        "id": "SA-22",
        "relation": "partial",
        "note": "A universe package without esm-apps has no vendor commitment to security fixes."
      }
    ],
    "threats": [
      {
        "framework": "mitre-attack",
        "id": "T1190"
      },
      {
        "framework": "cwe",
        "id": "CWE-1104"
      }
    ],
    "related_controls": [
      {
        "id": "CB-UBU-PKG-009",
        "type": "related"
      },
      {
        "id": "CB-UBU-PKG-010",
        "type": "related"
      }
    ],
    "authors": [
      {
        "name": "Alice",
        "github": "Sn0wAlice"
      }
    ],
    "verified": [
      {
        "date": "2026-10-19",
        "by": "Sn0wAlice",
        "versions": [
          "20.04"
        ],
        "environment": "Proxmox VM, Ubuntu 20.04 cloud image, kernel 5.4.0-216-generic",
        "notes": "Fails on stock (qemu-guest-agent from universe, not attached to Ubuntu Pro); passes with a shimmed pro security-status reporting esm-apps enabled (no Pro token in the lab)."
      },
      {
        "date": "2026-10-19",
        "by": "Sn0wAlice",
        "versions": [
          "22.04"
        ],
        "environment": "Proxmox VM, Ubuntu 22.04 cloud image, kernel 5.15.0-198-generic",
        "notes": "Fails on stock (qemu-guest-agent from universe, not attached to Ubuntu Pro); passes with a shimmed pro security-status reporting esm-apps enabled (no Pro token in the lab)."
      },
      {
        "date": "2026-10-19",
        "by": "Sn0wAlice",
        "versions": [
          "24.04"
        ],
        "environment": "Proxmox VM, Ubuntu 24.04 cloud image, kernel 6.8.0-147-generic",
        "notes": "Fails on stock (qemu-guest-agent from universe, not attached to Ubuntu Pro); passes with a shimmed pro security-status reporting esm-apps enabled (no Pro token in the lab)."
      },
      {
        "date": "2026-10-19",
        "by": "Sn0wAlice",
        "versions": [
          "26.04"
        ],
        "environment": "Proxmox VM, Ubuntu 26.04 cloud image, kernel 7.0.0-38-generic",
        "notes": "Fails on stock (qemu-guest-agent from universe, not attached to Ubuntu Pro); passes with a shimmed pro security-status reporting esm-apps enabled (no Pro token in the lab)."
      }
    ],
    "introduced_in": "0.1.0",
    "created": "2026-10-19",
    "updated": "2026-10-19"
  }
}