---
title: Enable the NTP Service
description: Datadog, the leading service for cloud-scale monitoring.
breadcrumbs: Docs > Datadog Security > OOTB Rules > Enable the NTP Service
---

# Enable the NTP Service
 
## Description{% #description %}

The `ntp` service can be enabled with the following command:

```
$ sudo systemctl enable ntp.service
```

## Rationale{% #rationale %}

Enabling the `ntp` service ensures that the `ntp` service will be running and that the system will synchronize its time to any servers specified. This is important whether the system is configured to be a client (and synchronize only its own clock) or it is also acting as an NTP server to other systems. Synchronizing time is essential for authentication services such as Kerberos, but it is also important for maintaining accurate logs and auditing possible security breaches.

The NTP daemon offers all of the functionality of `ntpdate`, which is now deprecated.

## 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 dpkg-query --show --showformat='${db:Status-Status}' 'linux-base' 2>/dev/null | grep -q '^installed$' && { dpkg-query --show --showformat='${db:Status-Status}' 'ntp' 2>/dev/null | grep -q '^installed$'; }; then

SYSTEMCTL_EXEC='/usr/bin/systemctl'
"$SYSTEMCTL_EXEC" unmask 'ntp.service'
if [[ $("$SYSTEMCTL_EXEC" is-system-running) != "offline" ]]; then
  "$SYSTEMCTL_EXEC" start 'ntp.service'
fi
"$SYSTEMCTL_EXEC" enable 'ntp.service'

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.

```go
- name: Gather the package facts
  package_facts:
    manager: auto
  tags:
  - NIST-800-53-AU-8(1)(a)
  - NIST-800-53-CM-6(a)
  - PCI-DSS-Req-10.4
  - PCI-DSSv4-10.6
  - PCI-DSSv4-10.6.1
  - enable_strategy
  - high_severity
  - low_complexity
  - low_disruption
  - no_reboot_needed
  - service_ntp_enabled

- name: Enable the NTP Daemon - Enable service ntp
  block:

  - name: Gather the package facts
    package_facts:
      manager: auto

  - name: Enable the NTP Daemon - Enable Service ntp
    ansible.builtin.systemd:
      name: ntp
      enabled: true
      state: started
      masked: false
    when:
    - '"ntp" in ansible_facts.packages'
  when:
  - '"linux-base" in ansible_facts.packages'
  - '"ntp" in ansible_facts.packages'
  tags:
  - NIST-800-53-AU-8(1)(a)
  - NIST-800-53-CM-6(a)
  - PCI-DSS-Req-10.4
  - PCI-DSSv4-10.6
  - PCI-DSSv4-10.6.1
  - enable_strategy
  - high_severity
  - low_complexity
  - low_disruption
  - no_reboot_needed
  - service_ntp_enabled
```