Title

AIX log files must have mode 0640 or less permissive. (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 AIX 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.

Check Content

Check the mode of log files: # ls -lL /var/log /var/log/syslog /var/adm /var/adm: total 376 drw-r----- 2 root system 256 Jan 24 12:31 SRC drwx------ 4 root system 256 Jan 24 07:28 config -rw-r----- 1 root system 1081 Jan 24 09:05 dev_pkg.fail -rw-r----- 1 root system 250 Jan 24 09:05 dev_pkg.success -rw------- 1 root system 64 Jan 24 09:43 sulog drwxr-xr-x 3 root system 256 Jan 24 12:28 sw drwx------ 2 root system 256 Jan 24 08:06 wpars /var/log: total 8 drwxr-xr-x 2 root system 256 Jan 24 08:44 aso -rw-r----- 1 root system 603 Jan 24 10:30 cache_mgt.dr.log If any of the log files have modes more permissive than "0640", this is a finding. NOTE: Do not confuse system logfiles with audit logs. Any subsystems that require less stringent permissions must be documented.

Fix Text

Change the mode of the system log file(s) to "0640" or less permissive: # chmod 0640 /path/to/system-log-file

Additional Identifiers

Rule ID: SV-215323r508663_rule

Vulnerability ID: V-215323

Group Title: SRG-OS-000206-GPOS-00084

Expert Comments

CCIs tied to check.

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