cyberstrikeus 4.1.16 Ensure system administrator actions (sudolog) are collected (Scored)
Profile Applicability
- Level 2 - Server
- Level 2 - Workstation
Description
Monitor the sudo log file. If the system has been properly configured to disable the use of the su command and force all administrators to have to log in first and then use sudo to execute privileged commands, then all administrator commands will be logged to /var/log/sudo.log. Any time a command is executed, an audit event will be triggered as the /var/log/sudo.log file will be opened for write and the executed administration command will be written to the log.
Rationale
Changes in /var/log/sudo.log indicate that an administrator has executed a command or the log file itself has been tampered with. Administrators will want to correlate the events written to the audit trail with the records written to /var/log/sudo.log to verify if unauthorized commands have been executed.
Audit Procedure
Run the following commands:
grep actions /etc/audit/audit.rules
auditctl -l | grep actions
Expected Result
Verify output of both matches:
-w /var/log/sudo.log -p wa -k actions
Remediation
Add the following lines to the /etc/audit/audit.rules file:
-w /var/log/sudo.log -p wa -k actions
Notes: The system must be configured with su disabled (See Item 5.6 Ensure access to the su command is restricted) to force all command execution through sudo. This will not be effective on the console, as administrators can log in as root.
Reloading the auditd config to set active settings may require a system reboot.
Default Value
Not configured by default.
References
- CIS Controls v6.1 - 5.1 Minimize And Sparingly Use Administrative Privileges
- CIS Controls v6.1 - 5.5 Log Failed Administrative Login Attempts
Profile
- Level 2 - Server
- Level 2 - Workstation