Title

The macOS system must configure system log files to mode 640 or less permissive. (Cat II impact)

Discussion

The system logs must be configured to be writable by root and readable only by the root user and group wheel. To achieve this, system log files must be configured to mode 640 permissive or less; thereby preventing normal users from reading, modifying, or deleting audit logs. System logs frequently contain sensitive information that could be used by an attacker. Setting the correct permissions mitigates this risk. Satisfies: SRG-OS-000205-GPOS-00083,SRG-OS-000206-GPOS-00084

Check Content

Verify the macOS system is configured with system log files set to mode 640 or less permissive with the following command: /usr/bin/stat -f '%A:%N' $(/usr/bin/grep -v '^#' /etc/newsyslog.conf | /usr/bin/awk '{ print $1 }') 2> /dev/null | /usr/bin/awk '!/640/{print $1}' | /usr/bin/wc -l | /usr/bin/tr -d ' ' If the result is not "0", this is a finding.

Fix Text

Configure the macOS system with system log files set to mode 640 or less permissive with the following command: /bin/chmod 640 $(/usr/bin/stat -f '%A:%N' $(/usr/bin/grep -v '^#' /etc/newsyslog.conf | /usr/bin/awk '{ print $1 }') 2> /dev/null | /usr/bin/awk '!/640/{print $1}' | awk -F":" '!/640/{print $2}')

Additional Identifiers

Rule ID: SV-259557r941293_rule

Vulnerability ID: V-259557

Group Title: SRG-OS-000205-GPOS-00083

Expert Comments

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