Unauthorized accounts must not have the Manage auditing and security log user right.

Overview

Finding ID	Version	Rule ID	IA Controls	Severity
V-26496	WN12-UR-000032	SV-53039r3_rule		Medium

Description
Inappropriate granting of user rights can provide system, administrative, and other high-level capabilities. Accounts with the "Manage auditing and security log" user right can manage the security log and change auditing configurations. This could be used to clear evidence of tampering.

STIG	Date
Windows Server 2012/2012 R2 Member Server Security Technical Implementation Guide	2017-06-09

Details

Check Text ( C-72731r2_chk )
Verify the effective setting in Local Group Policy Editor. Run "gpedit.msc". Navigate to Local Computer Policy >> Computer Configuration >> Windows Settings >> Security Settings >> Local Policies >> User Rights Assignment. If any accounts or groups other than the following are granted the "Manage auditing and security log" user right, this is a finding: Administrators If the organization has an Auditors group, the assignment of this group to the user right would not be a finding. If an application requires this user right, this would not be a finding. Vendor documentation must support the requirement for having the user right. The requirement must be documented with the ISSO. The application account must meet requirements for application account passwords, such as length (V-36661) and required changes frequency (V-36662).

Check Text ( C-72731r2_chk )

Verify the effective setting in Local Group Policy Editor.
Run "gpedit.msc".

Navigate to Local Computer Policy >> Computer Configuration >> Windows Settings >> Security Settings >> Local Policies >> User Rights Assignment.

If any accounts or groups other than the following are granted the "Manage auditing and security log" user right, this is a finding:

Administrators

If the organization has an Auditors group, the assignment of this group to the user right would not be a finding.

If an application requires this user right, this would not be a finding.
Vendor documentation must support the requirement for having the user right.
The requirement must be documented with the ISSO.
The application account must meet requirements for application account passwords, such as length (V-36661) and required changes frequency (V-36662).

Fix Text (F-45965r2_fix)
Configure the policy value for Computer Configuration >> Windows Settings >> Security Settings >> Local Policies >> User Rights Assignment >> "Manage auditing and security log" to only include the following accounts or groups: Administrators