The Ubuntu operating system must alert the ISSO and SA (at a minimum) in the event of an audit processing failure.

Overview

Finding ID	Version	Rule ID	IA Controls	Severity
V-238243	UBTU-20-010117	SV-238243r653904_rule		Medium

Description
It is critical for the appropriate personnel to be aware if a system is at risk of failing to process audit logs as required. Without this notification, the security personnel may be unaware of an impending failure of the audit capability, and system operation may be adversely affected. Audit processing failures include software/hardware errors, failures in the audit capturing mechanisms, and audit storage capacity being reached or exceeded. This requirement applies to each audit data storage repository (i.e., distinct information system component where audit records are stored), the centralized audit storage capacity of organizations (i.e., all audit data storage repositories combined), or both.

Description

It is critical for the appropriate personnel to be aware if a system is at risk of failing to process audit logs as required. Without this notification, the security personnel may be unaware of an impending failure of the audit capability, and system operation may be adversely affected. Audit processing failures include software/hardware errors, failures in the audit capturing mechanisms, and audit storage capacity being reached or exceeded. This requirement applies to each audit data storage repository (i.e., distinct information system component where audit records are stored), the centralized audit storage capacity of organizations (i.e., all audit data storage repositories combined), or both.

STIG	Date
Canonical Ubuntu 20.04 LTS Security Technical Implementation Guide	2023-03-06

Details

Check Text ( C-41453r653902_chk )
Verify that the SA and ISSO (at a minimum) are notified in the event of an audit processing failure with the following command: $ sudo grep '^action_mail_acct = root' /etc/audit/auditd.conf action_mail_acct = If the value of the "action_mail_acct" keyword is not set to an accounts for security personnel, the "action_mail_acct" keyword is missing, or the returned line is commented out, this is a finding.

Check Text ( C-41453r653902_chk )

Verify that the SA and ISSO (at a minimum) are notified in the event of an audit processing failure with the following command:

$ sudo grep '^action_mail_acct = root' /etc/audit/auditd.conf

action_mail_acct =

If the value of the "action_mail_acct" keyword is not set to an accounts for security personnel, the "action_mail_acct" keyword is missing, or the returned line is commented out, this is a finding.

Fix Text (F-41412r653903_fix)
Configure "auditd" service to notify the SA and ISSO in the event of an audit processing failure. Edit the following line in "/etc/audit/auditd.conf" to ensure administrators are notified via email for those situations: action_mail_acct = Note: Change "administrator_account" to an account for security personnel. Restart the "auditd" service so the changes take effect: $ sudo systemctl restart auditd.service

Fix Text (F-41412r653903_fix)

Configure "auditd" service to notify the SA and ISSO in the event of an audit processing failure.

Edit the following line in "/etc/audit/auditd.conf" to ensure administrators are notified via email for those situations:

action_mail_acct =

Note: Change "administrator_account" to an account for security personnel.

Restart the "auditd" service so the changes take effect:

$ sudo systemctl restart auditd.service