cyberstrikeus Ensure noexec option set on /var/log partition
Profile
Level 1 - Server / Level 1 - Workstation, Assessment: Automated
Description
The noexec mount option specifies that the filesystem cannot contain executable binaries.
Rationale
Since the /var/log filesystem is only intended for log files, set this option to ensure that users cannot run executable binaries from /var/log.
Impact
None noted.
Audit Procedure
Command Line
Verify that the noexec option is set for the /var/log mount.
# findmnt -kn /var/log | grep noexec
Expected Result
/var/log /dev/sda4 ext4 rw,nosuid,nodev,noexec,relatime,seclabel
Remediation
Command Line
Edit the /etc/fstab file and add noexec to the fourth field (mounting options) for the /var/log partition.
# Example:
# <device> /var/log <fstype> defaults,rw,nosuid,nodev,noexec,relatime 0 0
# Run the following command to remount /var/log with the configured options:
mount -o remount /var/log
Default Value
Not set by default.
References
- See the fstab(5) manual page for more information.
- NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5: AC-3, MP-2
CIS Controls
v8 - 3.3 Configure Data Access Control Lists (IG 1, IG 2, IG 3) v7 - 14.6 Protect Information through Access Control Lists (IG 1, IG 2, IG 3)
MITRE ATT&CK Mappings: T1204, T1204.002 (TA0005) - M1022