Security benefits FAQ¶

Why should this role be applied to a system?¶

First and foremost, this role should be applied to production systems in environments where security is a priority. If an OpenStack environment is exposed to the internet or to large internal corporate networks, applying this role will reduce the risk of compromised OpenStack infrastructure. The changes made by the role should also reduce the impact of potential compromises as well.

Some deployers may be subject to industry compliance programs, such as PCI-DSS, ISO 27001/27002, or NIST 800-53. Many of these programs require hardening standards to be applied to critical systems, such as OpenStack infrastructure components.

Which systems are covered?¶

The ansible-hardening role provides security hardening for physical servers running the following Linux distributions:

• Ubuntu 14.04
• Ubuntu 16.04
• CentOS 7
• Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7

The OpenStack gating system tests the role against each of these distributions regularly except for Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7, since it is a non-free Linux distribution. CentOS 7 is very similar to Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7 and the existing test coverage for CentOS is very thorough.

Which systems are not covered?¶

The containers that run various OpenStack services on physical servers in OpenStack-Ansible deployments are currently out of scope and are not changed by the role.

Virtual machines that are created within the OpenStack environment are also not affected by this role, although this role could be applied within those VM’s if a deployer chooses to do so.