Audit Log files must have the correct permissions.

From Apple OS X 10.8 (Mountain Lion) Workstation STIG

Associated with: CCI-000163

SV-65845r1_rule Audit Log files must have the correct permissions.

Vulnerability discussion

If audit data were to become compromised then competent forensic analysis and discovery of the true source of potentially malicious system activity is impossible to achieve. To ensure the veracity of audit data the operating system must protect audit information from unauthorized modification. Audit information includes all information (e.g., audit records, audit settings, audit reports) needed to successfully audit information system activity.

Check content

Prevent unauthorized users from reading or altering the audit logs. To check the permissions of the audit log files, run the following command: sudo -s stat -f "%A:%N" `sudo grep "^dir" /etc/security/audit_control | awk -F: '{print $2 "/*"}'` | grep -v current The results should show the permissions to be "440" or less permissive. If not, this is a finding.

Fix text

For any log file that returns an incorrect permission value, run the following command: sudo chmod 440 [audit log file] where [audit log file] is the full path to the log file in question.

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