Title

RHEL 9 audit log directory must be owned by root to prevent unauthorized read access. (Cat II impact)

Discussion

Unauthorized disclosure of audit records can reveal system and configuration data to attackers, thus compromising its confidentiality. Satisfies: SRG-OS-000057-GPOS-00027, SRG-OS-000058-GPOS-00028, SRG-OS-000059-GPOS-00029, SRG-OS-000206-GPOS-00084

Check Content

Verify the audit logs directory is owned by "root". Determine where the audit logs are stored with the following command: $ sudo grep -iw log_file /etc/audit/auditd.conf log_file = /var/log/audit/audit.log Using the location of the audit log file, determine if the audit log directory is owned by "root" using the following command: $ sudo stat -c '%U %n' /var/log/audit root /var/log/audit If the audit log directory is not owned by "root", this is a finding.

Fix Text

Configure the audit log to be protected from unauthorized read access by setting the correct owner as "root" with the following command: $ sudo chown root /var/log/audit

Additional Identifiers

Rule ID: SV-258166r1045303_rule

Vulnerability ID: V-258166

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.