IBM AIX 7.x STIG Version Comparison

There are 2 differences between versions v2 r7 (April 27, 2023) (the "left" version) and v2 r9 (Oct. 25, 2023) (the "right" version).

Check AIX7-00-002038 was changed between these two versions. Green, underlined text was added, red, struck-out text was removed.

The regular view of the left check and right check may be easier to read.

Title

AIX must record time stamps for audit records that can be mapped to Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) or Greenwich Mean Time (GMT).

Check Content

Check the time zone setting by the following command: # echo $TZ UTC If the result is not UTC UTC, GMT, or GMT, an offset from UTC, this is a finding.

Discussion

If time stamps are not consistently applied and there is no common time reference, it is difficult to perform forensic analysis. Time stamps generated by AIX include date and time. Time is commonly expressed in Coordinated Universal Time (UTC), a modern continuation of Greenwich Mean Time (GMT), or local time with an offset from UTC.

Fix

Change time zone setting to either UTC, GMT, or an offset from UTC and or GMT, then reboot the system for the setting to take effect. # chtz UTC Or change time zone to GMT # GMT chtz GMT The or an offset of UTC. The system must be rebooted for the change to take affect: # effect: # reboot