# yaml-language-server: $schema=../../../../schema/control.schema.json
id: CB-UBU-SVC-025
title: Confine services with systemd sandboxing options
finding:
  title: Network-facing services run with the full privileges systemd gives by default
  description: A compromised service can read and change the whole system instead of its own files.
status: active
profiles: [server-hardened]
risk:
  severity: medium
assessment: partial
tags: [systemd, sandboxing, services, least-privilege]

description: |
  systemd can confine each service with options in its unit or in a drop-in
  (`systemctl edit <unit>`): a dedicated or dynamic user (`User=`, `DynamicUser=`), a read-only
  view of the system (`ProtectSystem=strict`, `ProtectHome=`, `ReadWritePaths=`), a private `/tmp`
  and device set (`PrivateTmp=`, `PrivateDevices=`), no privilege gain
  (`NoNewPrivileges=`, `CapabilityBoundingSet=`), and kernel and system call filters
  (`ProtectKernelTunables=`, `RestrictAddressFamilies=`, `SystemCallFilter=`...).

  `systemd-analyze security` scores each service from 0 (confined) to 10 (unconfined) and labels
  it `OK`, `MEDIUM`, `EXPOSED` or `UNSAFE`.
rationale: |
  Most daemons only need a few directories, capabilities and system calls. Confining them limits
  what an attacker gains by exploiting one: no access to other services' data, no kernel
  tuning, no new privileges. This is the compartmentalization ANSSI asks for each service.
impact: |
  Options that are too strict make a service fail at start-up or at run time (cannot write its
  files, cannot open a socket). Each change must be tested on the service and kept in a drop-in so
  package upgrades do not overwrite it.
notes: |
  The check lists the services that `systemd-analyze security` labels `UNSAFE` with their score;
  it always passes, so the control ends as `review`. A person decides which network-facing
  services to confine first. Many Ubuntu services already ship hardened units (for example
  `systemd-resolved`, `chrony`); OpenSSH stays largely unconfined by design, since it must start
  login sessions.

  The options depend on the systemd version: 245 on 20.04, 249 on 22.04, 255 on 24.04, 259 on
  26.04. On 20.04, `ProtectProc=`, `ProcSubset=` (247) and `PrivateIPC=` (248) do not exist, and
  systemd only logs a warning and ignores an unknown option, so check `systemd-analyze security
  <unit>` after each change instead of assuming the drop-in took effect. AppArmor profiles
  (`aa-status`) give a second confinement layer on Ubuntu and are not counted by this check.

audit:
  manual: |
    1. Run `systemd-analyze security` and note the services rated `UNSAFE` or `EXPOSED`.
    2. For each service that listens on the network or parses untrusted data, check that a drop-in
       under `/etc/systemd/system/<unit>.d/` sets the sandboxing options it supports, and that
       `systemd-analyze security <unit>` shows an improved score.
  checks:
    - id: exposure
      engine: shell
      description: Lists the services rated UNSAFE by systemd-analyze security, for review.
      spec:
        script: |
          command -v systemd-analyze >/dev/null 2>&1 || { echo "systemd-analyze not found"; exit 3; }
          o=$(systemd-analyze security --no-pager 2>/dev/null) || { echo "systemd-analyze security failed"; exit 3; }
          total=$(printf '%s\n' "$o" | awk 'NR > 1' | grep -c .)
          unsafe=$(printf '%s\n' "$o" | awk 'NR > 1 && $3 == "UNSAFE" { printf "%s=%s ", $1, $2 }')
          n=$(printf '%s' "$unsafe" | wc -w)
          echo "$n of $total services UNSAFE: $unsafe"

remediation:
  manual: |
    For each service to confine, run `systemctl edit <unit>` and add the options it tolerates, for
    example:
    ```
    [Service]
    ProtectSystem=strict
    ReadWritePaths=/var/lib/<service>
    ProtectHome=yes
    PrivateTmp=yes
    PrivateDevices=yes
    NoNewPrivileges=yes
    ProtectKernelTunables=yes
    ProtectKernelModules=yes
    ProtectControlGroups=yes
    RestrictAddressFamilies=AF_UNIX AF_INET AF_INET6
    ```
    Restart the service, check that it works and its logs (`journalctl -u <unit>`), then compare
    `systemd-analyze security <unit>`.
  rollback: |
    Run `systemctl revert <unit>` to remove the drop-ins, then restart the service.

references:
  - title: systemd.exec(5), Ubuntu manual pages
    url: https://manpages.ubuntu.com/manpages/noble/man5/systemd.exec.5.html
    publisher: Canonical
    kind: vendor-doc
    accessed: 2026-10-19
  - title: systemd-analyze(1), Ubuntu manual pages
    url: https://manpages.ubuntu.com/manpages/noble/man1/systemd-analyze.1.html
    publisher: Canonical
    kind: vendor-doc
    accessed: 2026-10-19
  - title: ANSSI-BP-028 v2.0 - Recommandations de configuration d'un système GNU/Linux (R64, R65, R66)
    url: https://messervices.cyber.gouv.fr/documents-guides/fr_np_linux_configuration-v2.0.pdf
    publisher: ANSSI
    kind: guide
    accessed: 2026-10-19
mappings:
  - framework: anssi-linux
    framework_version: "2.0"
    id: R64
    relation: partial
    note: Covers service privileges through systemd users and capabilities.
  - framework: anssi-linux
    framework_version: "2.0"
    id: R65
    relation: partial
    note: Covers compartmentalization with systemd namespaces; containers and VMs are out of scope.
  - framework: anssi-linux
    framework_version: "2.0"
    id: R66
    relation: partial
    note: Covers system call and kernel access filters set by systemd.
  - framework: nist-800-53r5
    framework_version: "5.1.1"
    id: SC-39
    relation: related
  - framework: nist-800-53r5
    framework_version: "5.1.1"
    id: AC-6
    relation: related
threats:
  - framework: mitre-attack
    id: T1068
  - framework: mitre-attack
    id: T1190
  - framework: cwe
    id: CWE-250

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: "Check lists the UNSAFE services from systemd-analyze security and ends as review, on fresh and loaded systems."
  - date: 2026-10-19
    by: Sn0wAlice
    versions: ["22.04"]
    environment: Proxmox VM, Ubuntu 22.04 cloud image, kernel 5.15.0-198-generic
    notes: "Check lists the UNSAFE services from systemd-analyze security and ends as review, on fresh and loaded systems."
  - date: 2026-10-19
    by: Sn0wAlice
    versions: ["24.04"]
    environment: Proxmox VM, Ubuntu 24.04 cloud image, kernel 6.8.0-147-generic
    notes: "Check lists the UNSAFE services from systemd-analyze security and ends as review, on fresh and loaded systems."
  - date: 2026-10-19
    by: Sn0wAlice
    versions: ["26.04"]
    environment: Proxmox VM, Ubuntu 26.04 cloud image, kernel 7.0.0-38-generic
    notes: "Check lists the UNSAFE services from systemd-analyze security and ends as review, on fresh and loaded systems."
introduced_in: 0.1.0
created: 2026-10-19
updated: 2026-10-19