RHEL 8 audit logs must be owned by root to prevent unauthorized read access.

Overview

Finding ID	Version	Rule ID	IA Controls	Severity
V-230397	RHEL-08-030080	SV-230397r627750_rule		Medium

Description
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 the RHEL 8 system 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. Satisfies: SRG-OS-000057-GPOS-00027, SRG-OS-000058-GPOS-00028, SRG-OS-000059-GPOS-00029, SRG-OS-000206-GPOS-00084

Description

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 the RHEL 8 system 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. Satisfies: SRG-OS-000057-GPOS-00027, SRG-OS-000058-GPOS-00028, SRG-OS-000059-GPOS-00029, SRG-OS-000206-GPOS-00084

STIG	Date
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 Security Technical Implementation Guide	2023-12-01

Details

Check Text ( C-33066r567937_chk )
Verify the audit logs are owned by "root". First, 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 is owned by "root" using the following command: $ sudo ls -al /var/log/audit/audit.log rw------- 2 root root 23 Jun 11 11:56 /var/log/audit/audit.log If the audit log is not owned by "root", this is a finding.

Check Text ( C-33066r567937_chk )

Verify the audit logs are owned by "root". First, 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 is owned by "root" using the following command:

$ sudo ls -al /var/log/audit/audit.log

rw------- 2 root root 23 Jun 11 11:56 /var/log/audit/audit.log

If the audit log is not owned by "root", this is a finding.

Fix Text (F-33041r567938_fix)
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 [audit_log_file] Replace "[audit_log_file]" to the correct audit log path, by default this location is "/var/log/audit/audit.log".