---
title: Require Authentication for Emergency Systemd Target
description: Datadog, the leading service for cloud-scale monitoring.
breadcrumbs: >-
  Docs > Datadog Security > OOTB Rules > Require Authentication for Emergency
  Systemd Target
---

# Require Authentication for Emergency Systemd Target
 
## Description{% #description %}

Emergency mode is intended as a system recovery method, providing a single user root access to the system during a failed boot sequence.

By default, Emergency mode is protected by requiring a password and is set in `/usr/lib/systemd/system/emergency.service`.

## Rationale{% #rationale %}

This prevents attackers with physical access from trivially bypassing security on the machine and gaining root access. Such accesses are further prevented by configuring the bootloader password.

## Remediation{% #remediation %}

### Shell script{% #shell-script %}

The following script can be run on the host to remediate the issue.

```bash
#!/bin/bash

# Remediation is applicable only in certain platforms
if [ ! -f /.dockerenv ] && [ ! -f /run/.containerenv ]; then

service_file="/usr/lib/systemd/system/emergency.service"


sulogin='/bin/sh -c "/sbin/sulogin; /usr/bin/systemctl --fail --no-block default"'


if grep "^ExecStart=.*" "$service_file" ; then
    sed -i "s%^ExecStart=.*%ExecStart=-$sulogin%" "$service_file"
else
    echo "ExecStart=-$sulogin" >> "$service_file"
fi

else
    >&2 echo 'Remediation is not applicable, nothing was done'
fi
```

### Ansible playbook{% #ansible-playbook %}

The following playbook can be run with Ansible to remediate the issue.

```
- name: Require emergency mode password
  lineinfile:
    create: true
    dest: /usr/lib/systemd/system/emergency.service
    regexp: ^#?ExecStart=
    line: ExecStart=-/bin/sh -c "/sbin/sulogin; /usr/bin/systemctl --fail --no-block
      default"
  when: ansible_virtualization_type not in ["docker", "lxc", "openvz", "podman", "container"]
  tags:
  - CCE-82185-0
  - NIST-800-171-3.1.1
  - NIST-800-171-3.4.5
  - NIST-800-53-AC-3
  - NIST-800-53-CM-6(a)
  - NIST-800-53-IA-2
  - low_complexity
  - low_disruption
  - medium_severity
  - no_reboot_needed
  - require_emergency_target_auth
  - restrict_strategy
```