More superuser administrators than a small team needs
At a glance
Base severity
Area
Platform
Evidence level
Benchmark reference
Reads the export, not the device
ConfigProof reads a configuration export. This control is evaluated against the objects in that file, and it reports what the file says. It does not connect to the device and sees no traffic, so a finding here describes the configuration, not what the firewall is doing right now.
Why it matters
Every superuser account is a full compromise of the device if it is taken over. Most day to day work fits a read-only or a device administrator role.
How to fix it
Web interface
The steps below are written for the web interface. A finding raised on your own export carries the same steps with your object names filled in.
- Move read-only users such as auditors and monitoring accounts to the superreader role.
- Give API integrations a custom role limited to the calls they make.
- Keep superuser for break-glass accounts only.
Command line
PAN-OS CLI
set mgt-config users <administrator> permissions role-based <role-name>An example. Values in angle brackets are yours to supply; a finding on your own export fills in the names it read. Nothing here commits. Review the candidate configuration, then commit it yourself.
Read it back
show mgt-config usersValues to fill in2
- <administrator>
- The administrator account to change
- <role-name>
- The role to give this administrator instead
Before you type it1
- Keep one working administrator you can still sign in with.
How to confirm the fix
- Confirm each account still belongs to someone who needs full privilege.
- Test the reduced role with the account holder before removing superuser.
Limits
- A genuinely small team may legitimately have several superusers, so this is reported at confidence 0.75.
Compliance references
No benchmark recommendation is mapped to this control in this version.
More in Administrators and Access
- PAN-SEC-026Management access allows HTTP or Telnet
- PAN-SEC-029Well known administrator account is active with full privilege
- PAN-SEC-046Administrator has no central authentication profile
- PAN-SEC-096Management interface accepts HTTPS or SSH from any address
- PAN-SEC-097Management interface allows HTTP or Telnet
- PAN-SEC-118Minimum password complexity is not enabled
- PAN-SEC-119Minimum password length is below 12
- PAN-SEC-120Passwords need no uppercase letter
See it on your own firewall
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