cyberstrikeus 4.1.2.2 Ensure journald is configured to write logfiles to persistent disk (Automated)
Description
Data from journald may be stored in volatile memory or persisted locally on the server. Logs in memory will be lost upon a system reboot. By persisting logs to local disk on the server they are protected from loss.
Rationale
Writing log data to disk will provide the ability to forensically reconstruct events which may have impacted the operations or security of a system even after a system crash or reboot.
Audit Procedure
Review /etc/systemd/journald.conf and verify that logs are persisted to disk:
# grep -e Storage /etc/systemd/journald.conf
# Storage=persistent
Expected Result
The output should show Storage=persistent.
Remediation
Edit the /etc/systemd/journald.conf file and add the following line:
Storage=persistent
/etc is stateless on Container-Optimized OS. Therefore, /etc cannot be used to make these changes persistent across reboots. The steps mentioned above needs to be performed after every boot.
Default Value
The main configuration file /etc/systemd/journald.conf is read before any of the custom *.conf files. If there are custom configs present, they override the main configuration parameters.
References
CIS Controls
| Controls Version | Control | IG 1 | IG 2 | IG 3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| v8 | 8.2 Collect Audit Logs - Collect audit logs. Ensure that logging, per the enterprise's audit log management process, has been enabled across enterprise assets. | x | x | x |
| v8 | 8.5 Collect Detailed Audit Logs - Configure detailed audit logging for enterprise assets containing sensitive data. Include event source, date, username, timestamp, source addresses, destination addresses, and other useful elements that could assist in a forensic investigation. | x | x | |
| v7 | 6.2 Activate audit logging - Ensure that local logging has been enabled on all systems and networking devices. | x | x | x |
| v7 | 6.3 Enable Detailed Logging - Enable system logging to include detailed information such as an event source, date, user, timestamp, source addresses, destination addresses, and other useful elements. | x | x |
Profile
- Level 1 - Server