# Ensure xinetd services are not in use

Necessity: The xinetd (extended Internet services daemon) is a legacy 'super-server' that launches other network services on demand. Modern Linux distributions, including CentOS 7 and later, use systemd for service management and socket activation, which is more efficient and secure. Leaving xinetd installed when not explicitly needed increases the system's attack surface, as it may be configured to run insecure or unnecessary services. Removing it aligns with the security principle of minimizing software to reduce potential vulnerabilities.

Auditing and Remediation: The audit script verifies the system's compliance by checking if the 'xinetd' package is installed using the native RPM package manager. The remediation script ensures the package is removed using the system's package manager (yum or dnf), thereby eliminating the associated service and potential risks.

Recommended State Rationale: The recommended state for Basic, Moderate, and Strict levels is 'not installed'. Since xinetd is considered obsolete and has been replaced by more secure and modern alternatives, there is no secure configuration other than its complete removal. Any level of system hardening requires that unnecessary and legacy services be uninstalled to minimize the potential attack surface. Therefore, the recommendation is consistent across all security postures.

## Recommended State Configuration

| Security Level | Value |
|----------------|-------|
| **Basic** | `['not installed']` |
| **Moderate** | `['not installed']` |
| **Strict** | `['not installed']` |
| **Type** | `ENUM` |

## Audit Script Working

Bash script that uses the 'rpm -q xinetd' command to check if the xinetd package is installed. If the package is installed, the script must output the string 'installed'. If the package is not installed, it must output 'not installed'. The output must not contain any other text, labels, or formatting.

## Remediation Script Working

Bash script that accepts a single positional argument representing the desired state. If the argument is 'not installed', the script must use 'yum -y remove xinetd' or 'dnf -y remove xinetd' to uninstall the package. The script must return 'true' upon successful removal or if the package is already not installed, and 'false' if the removal fails.

