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STIG Capstone: Certify the Full Baseline

HardLinux Security45-60 min
The brief

The proving ground. This host must pass a full DISA-STIG-style baseline before it can be accredited — unaided, across every control family you have practiced: SSH hardening, sensitive-file permissions, kernel/sysctl parameters, the authorized-use banner, account & password policy, and a restrictive umask. Every control starts non-compliant. Harden the box until all of them pass; the baseline only certifies when EVERY control is green, exactly like a SCAP scan gating an ATO. This is the evidence artifact a compliance reviewer asks for.

What you'll do
  • SSH: root login off, key-based auth only, X11 forwarding off
  • Files: /etc/shadow 640, sshd_config 600
  • Kernel: ip_forward off, SYN cookies on, full ASLR
  • Banner: authorized-use notice wired into sshd
  • Accounts: 60-day max password age, minlen >= 15
  • umask: 077 default

Hands-on lab: you work on a real Linux box in your browser, graded on the machine's actual state.