Title

System audit logs must have mode 0640 or less permissive. (Cat II impact)

Discussion

If a user can write to the audit logs, audit trails can be modified or destroyed and system intrusion may not be detected. System audit logs are those files generated from the audit system and do not include activity, error, or other log files created by application software.

Check Content

Inspect the auditing configuration file, /etc/rc.config.d/auditing, to determine the filename and path of the audit logs. The entries should appear similar to the following: PRI_AUDFILE=/var/.audit/file1 SEC_AUDFILE=/var/.audit/file2 # egrep “PRI_AUDFILE|SEC_AUDFILE” /etc/rc.config.d/auditing For each audit log directory/file, check the permissions. # ls -lLd <audit directory> # ls -lLa <audit file> If any audit log file has permissions greater than 0640 (0750 for directories), this is a finding.

Fix Text

As root, change the permissions. # chmod 0750 <audit directory> # chmod 0640 <audit file>

Additional Identifiers

Rule ID: SV-38478r2_rule

Vulnerability ID: V-813

Group Title: GEN002700

Expert Comments

CCIs tied to check.

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