documentation_complete: true


title: 'Remove the GDM Package Group'

description: |-
    {{% if 'ubuntu' not in product %}}
    By removing the <tt>gdm</tt> package, the system no longer has GNOME installed.
    {{% else %}}
    By removing the <tt>gdm3</tt> package, the system no longer has GNOME installed.
    {{% endif %}}
    If X Windows is not installed then the system cannot boot into graphical user mode.
    This prevents the system from being accidentally or maliciously booted into a <tt>graphical.target</tt>
    mode. To do so, run the following command:
    {{% if 'ubuntu' not in product %}}
    <pre>$ sudo yum remove gdm</pre>
    {{% else %}}
    <pre>$ sudo apt remove gdm3</pre>
    {{% endif %}}

rationale: |-
    Unnecessary service packages must not be installed to decrease the attack surface of the system.
    A graphical environment is unnecessary for certain types of systems including a virtualization
    hypervisor.

severity: medium

identifiers:
    cce@rhel8: CCE-82367-4
    cce@rhel9: CCE-83549-6
    cce@rhel10: CCE-88880-0
    cce@sle12: CCE-92352-4
    cce@sle15: CCE-92502-4

references:
    cis@sle12: '1.10'
    cis@sle15: '1.10'
    nist: CM-7(a),CM-7(b),CM-6(a)
    srg: SRG-OS-000480-GPOS-00227

{{% if 'ubuntu' not in product %}}
ocil_clause: 'gdm has not been removed'

ocil: |-
    To ensure the gdm package group is removed, run the following command:
    <pre>$ rpm -qi gdm</pre>
    The output should be:
    <pre>package gdm is not installed</pre>
{{% else %}}
ocil_clause: 'gdm3 has not been removed'

ocil: |-
    To ensure the gdm3 package group is removed, run the following command:
    <pre>$ dpkg -l gdm3</pre>
    The output should begin with:
    <pre>rc gdm3</pre>
    Or
    <pre>dpkg-query: no packages found matching gdm3</pre>
{{% endif %}}

fixtext: '{{{ fixtext_package_removed("gdm") }}}'

srg_requirement: '{{{ srg_requirement_package_removed("gdm") }}}'

template:
    name: package_removed
    vars:
        pkgname: gdm
        pkgname@ubuntu2204: gdm3
        pkgname@ubuntu2404: gdm3