Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9 • Release: 7 Benchmark Date: 05 Jan 2026

CAT II V-257951 RHEL-09-252050

RHEL 9 must be configured to prevent unrestricted mail relaying.

Documentable No
Rule ID SV-257951r1014843_rule
CCI References
CCI-000366

If unrestricted mail relaying is permitted, unauthorized senders could use this host as a mail relay for the purpose of sending spam or other unauthorized activity.

Check Procedure

If postfix is not installed, this is Not Applicable.

Verify RHEL 9 is configured to prevent unrestricted mail relaying with the following command:

$ postconf -n smtpd_client_restrictions 

smtpd_client_restrictions = permit_mynetworks,reject 

If the "smtpd_client_restrictions" parameter contains any entries other than "permit_mynetworks" and "reject", and the additional entries have not been documented with the information system security officer (ISSO), this is a finding.

Fix Action

Modify the postfix configuration file to restrict client connections to the local network with the following command:

$ sudo postconf -e 'smtpd_client_restrictions = permit_mynetworks,reject'