RHEL 8 audit logs must be group-owned by root to prevent unauthorized read access.
Overview
| Finding ID | Version | Rule ID | IA Controls | Severity |
| V-230398 | RHEL-08-030090 | SV-230398r1017204_rule | CCI-000162 | medium |
| Description | ||||
| Unauthorized disclosure of audit records can reveal system and configuration data to attackers, thus compromising its confidentiality. Audit information includes all information (e.g., audit records, audit settings, audit reports) needed to successfully audit RHEL 8 activity. Satisfies: SRG-OS-000057-GPOS-00027, SRG-OS-000058-GPOS-00028, SRG-OS-000059-GPOS-00029 | ||||
| STIG | Date | |||
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 Security Technical Implementation Guide | 2025-05-14 | |||
Details
Check Text (C-230398r1017204_chk)
Verify the audit logs are group-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 group-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 group-owned by "root", this is a finding.
Fix Text (F-33042r567941_fix)
Configure the audit log to be owned by root by configuring the log group in the /etc/audit/auditd.conf file:
log_group = root