cis-ubuntu-14-04-lts-1-5-4-ensure-prelink-is-disabled

name	CIS Ubuntu 14.04 LTS - 1.5.4 Ensure prelink is disabled
description	Verify that prelink is disabled to prevent interference with AIDE integrity checking
category	cis-os-hardening
version	2.1.0
author	cyberstrike-official
tags	["cis","ubuntu","ubuntu-14.04","level-1","scored","hardening"]
cis_id	1.5.4
cis_benchmark	CIS Ubuntu Linux 14.04 LTS Benchmark v2.1.0
tech_stack	["ubuntu","linux"]
cwe_ids	[]
chains_with	["cis-ubuntu1404-v210-1-3-1"]
prerequisites	[]
severity_boost	medium

1.5.4 Ensure prelink is disabled (Scored)

Profile Applicability

• Level 1 - Server
• Level 1 - Workstation

Description

prelink is a program that modifies ELF shared libraries and ELF dynamically linked binaries in such a way that the time needed for the dynamic linker to perform relocations at startup significantly decreases.

Rationale

The prelinking feature can interfere with the operation of AIDE, because it changes binaries. Prelinking can also increase the vulnerability of the system if a malicious user is able to compromise a common library such as libc.

Audit Procedure

Run the following command and verify prelink is not installed:

dpkg -s prelink

Expected Result

The output should indicate that the package is not installed.

Remediation

Run the following command to restore binaries to normal:

prelink -ua

Run the following command to uninstall prelink:

apt-get remove prelink

Default Value

prelink is not installed by default.

References

• CIS Controls: 3.5 Use File Integrity Tools For Critical System Files

Profile

• Level 1 - Server
• Level 1 - Workstation