Title

NixOS journald directory and logs must be group-owned by systemd-journald to prevent unauthorized read access. (Cat II impact)

Discussion

Only authorized personnel should be aware of errors and the details of the errors. Error messages are an indicator of an organization's operational state or can identify the NixOS system or platform. Additionally, Personally Identifiable Information (PII) and operational information must not be revealed through error messages to unauthorized personnel or their designated representatives. The structure and content of error messages must be carefully considered by the organization and development team. The extent to which the information system is able to identify and handle error conditions is guided by organizational policy and operational requirements. Satisfies: SRG-OS-000057-GPOS-00027, SRG-OS-000206-GPOS-00084

Check Content

Verify the journald directories and logs are group-owned by "systemd-journald" by executing the following command: $ sudo find /var/log/journal -not -group systemd-journal If any directories or files are returned, this is a finding.

Fix Text

The systemd-journald logs are by design stored with root:systemd-journald owner and group respectively. If any files are found with different ownership, run the following command to correct them: $ sudo chown -R root:systemd-journald /var/log/journald

Additional Identifiers

Rule ID: SV-268116r1131031_rule

Vulnerability ID: V-268116

Group Title: SRG-OS-000057-GPOS-00027

Expert Comments

CCIs tied to check.

Controls tied to check. These are derived from the CCIs shown above.