# Ensure message access server services are not in use

Necessity: Message access server services, such as Dovecot (IMAP/POP3) and Cyrus IMAPD, are used to allow email clients to retrieve mail. If a server is not intended to function as a mail server, running these services exposes an unnecessary attack surface. Potential vulnerabilities in these services could be exploited for unauthorized access, data breaches, or denial-of-service attacks. Disabling them adheres to the security principle of least functionality, minimizing the system's exposure to threats.

Auditing and Remediation: The audit script checks if the 'dovecot' or 'cyrus-imapd' services are enabled via systemd. The remediation script uses 'systemctl stop' and 'systemctl disable' commands to halt the services and prevent them from starting on system boot, effectively removing them from the system's active operational scope.

Recommended State Rationale: The recommended state is consistently 'Disabled' across all security levels because the nature of this control is binary. A system either requires mail services to fulfill its primary function, or it does not. 
- Basic: ['Disabled'] - This is the fundamental requirement. If the system is not a mail server, these services must be disabled to prevent unnecessary risk. 
- Moderate: ['Disabled'] - There is no intermediate configuration. The services must be off if not explicitly required.
- Strict: ['Disabled'] - The most secure posture for a non-mail server is to have these services completely disabled or, ideally, uninstalled. This ensures the attack vector is entirely eliminated.

## Recommended State Configuration

| Security Level | Value |
|----------------|-------|
| **Basic** | `['Disabled']` |
| **Moderate** | `['Disabled']` |
| **Strict** | `['Disabled']` |
| **Type** | `ENUM` |

## Audit Script Working

Bash script that checks if either the 'dovecot' or 'cyrus-imapd' service is enabled. The script should check the status of both services. If either service is found to be enabled, the script must output 'Enabled'. Otherwise, it must output 'Disabled'. The output must contain only the resulting string, with no extra text or formatting.

## Remediation Script Working

Bash script that accepts a single positional argument, which must be the string 'Disabled'. If the argument is 'Disabled', the script must attempt to stop and disable both the 'dovecot' and 'cyrus-imapd' services using systemctl. The script must return 'true' on success (i.e., the services are disabled or not installed) and 'false' on any failure. Errors from non-existent services should be ignored.

