Disable unnecessary operating system level services

This section suggests various unused operating system level services that you can disable to improve security.

Disable the Telnet service

OHTR does not use the Telnet service.

Telnet listens on port 23 by default. If the Telnet service is available on any computer, Oracle recommends that you disable Telnet in favor of Transport Layer Security (TLS). Telnet, which sends clear-text passwords and user names through a log-in, is a security risk to your servers. Disabling Telnet tightens and protects your system security.

Disable other unused services

OHTR does not use the following services or information for any functionality:

  • Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP). This protocol is an Internet standard for E-mail transmission across Internet Protocol (IP) networks.
  • Identification Protocol (identd). This protocol is generally used to identify the owner of a TCP connection on UNIX.
  • Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP). This protocol is a method for managing and reporting information about different systems.
  • File transfer Protocol (FTP). This protocol is used for downloading or uploading files from the file server.

Therefore, restricting these services or information does not affect the use of OHTR . If you are not using these services for other applications, Oracle recommends that you disable these services to minimize your security exposure. If you need SMTP, identd, or SNMP for other applications, be sure to upgrade to the latest version of the protocol to provide the most up-to-date security for your system.