New Linux Checks: Gnome Screenlock & Unsupported Ubuntu

Happy October everyone! 

As part of our commitment to improve Check support on Linux, Kolide is excited to announce the immediate availability of two new Checks for Linux systems.

The first is the Ubuntu OS Version Unsupported Check which uses Canonical’s official Launchpad releases API to detect versions of Ubuntu that are no longer formally supported. An unsupported version of Ubuntu may not receive critical security patches, so it is important that end-users upgrade their OS right away. If Kolide detects a version of Ubuntu that is not considered “active” by Canonical, it will generate a failure.

The second check is Gnome Screenlock Disabled/Insecure. Like the Mac and Windows counterparts, this Check ensures that not only are the lock settings enabled, but that the screen will correctly sleep in a reasonable amount of time. Specifically, this Check ensures that:

• The screen sleeps within 10 minutes or less of idle time
• A password is required to resume using the device if the screen is off for 5 minutes or greater
• Both the screenlock and sleep idle settings are correctly enabled

In the future, Kolide is hoping to expand the support of these Checks to other popular window managers and flavors of Linux. Keep your eyes peeled for future announcements. As always, if you have questions or feedback, please reach out!