cis-docker-3-18

name	cis-docker-3.18
description	Ensure that daemon.json file permissions are set to 644 or more restrictive
category	cis-docker
version	1.8.0
author	cyberstrike-official
tags	["cis","docker","linux","containers","daemon-files","file-permissions","ownership"]
cis_id	3.18
cis_benchmark	CIS Docker Benchmark v1.8.0
tech_stack	["linux","docker"]
cwe_ids	[]
chains_with	[]
prerequisites	[]
severity_boost	{}

Ensure that daemon.json file permissions are set to 644 or more restrictive (Manual)

Profile Applicability

• Level 2 - Docker - Linux

Description

You should verify that if the daemon.json is present its file permissions are correctly set to 644 or more restrictively.

Rationale

The daemon.json file contains sensitive parameters that may alter the behavior of the docker daemon. Therefore it should be writeable only by root to ensure it is not modified by less privileged users.

Impact

None.

Audit Procedure

You should execute the command below to verify that the file permissions are correctly set to 644 or more restrictively:

stat -c %a /etc/docker/daemon.json

If the command returns the result below, the file is not present and this check does not apply:

stat: cannot stat '/etc/docker/daemon.json': No such file or directory

Remediation

If the file is present, you should execute the command below:

chmod 644 /etc/docker/daemon.json

This sets the file permissions for this file to 644.

Default Value

This file may not be present on the system, and in that case, this recommendation is not applicable.

References

1. https://docs.docker.com/engine/reference/commandline/dockerd/#daemon-configuration-file

CIS Controls

Controls Version	Control	IG 1	IG 2	IG 3
v8	3.3 Configure Data Access Control Lists - Configure data access control lists based on a user's need to know. Apply data access control lists, also known as access permissions, to local and remote file systems, databases, and applications.	●	●	●
v7	14.6 Protect Information through Access Control Lists - Protect all information stored on systems with file system, network share, claims, application, or database specific access control lists. These controls will enforce the principle that only authorized individuals should have access to the information based on their need to access the information as a part of their responsibilities.