Title

The VMM must notify system administrators (SAs) and information system security officers (ISSOs) when accounts are created. (Cat II impact)

Discussion

Once an attacker establishes initial access to a system, the attacker often attempts to create a persistent method of reestablishing access. One way to accomplish this is for the attacker to simply create a new account. Notification of account creation is one method for mitigating this risk. A comprehensive account management process will ensure an audit trail that documents the creation of VMM user accounts and notifies the SA and ISSO that it exists. Such a process greatly reduces the risk that accounts will be surreptitiously created and provides logging that can be used for forensic purposes. To address access requirements, many VMMs can be integrated with enterprise-level authentication/access/auditing mechanisms that meet or exceed access control policy requirements.

Check Content

Verify the VMM notifies SAs and ISSOs when accounts are created. If it does not, this is a finding.

Fix Text

Configure the VMM to notify SAs and ISSOs when accounts are created.

Additional Identifiers

Rule ID: SV-207427r984222_rule

Vulnerability ID: V-207427

Group Title: SRG-OS-000274

Expert Comments

CCIs tied to check.

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