4.1.6 Ensure events that modify user/group information are collected - /etc/group

Information

Record events affecting the group , passwd (user IDs), shadow and gshadow (passwords) or /etc/security/opasswd (old passwords, based on remember parameter in the PAM configuration) files. The parameters in this section will watch the files to see if they have been opened for write or have had attribute changes (e.g. permissions) and tag them with the identifier 'identity' in the audit log file.

Rationale:

Unexpected changes to these files could be an indication that the system has been compromised and that an unauthorized user is attempting to hide their activities or compromise additional accounts.

Solution

Edit or create a file in the /etc/audit/rules.d/ directory ending in .rules
Example: vi /etc/audit/rules.d/audit.rules
and add the following lines:

-w /etc/group -p wa -k identity
-w /etc/passwd -p wa -k identity
-w /etc/gshadow -p wa -k identity
-w /etc/shadow -p wa -k identity
-w /etc/security/opasswd -p wa -k identity

Notes:

Reloading the auditd config to set active settings may require a system reboot.

This Benchmark recommendation maps to:

Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7 Security Technical Implementation Guide:

Version 2, Release: 3 Benchmark Date: 26 Apr 2019



Vul ID: V-72197

Rule ID: SV-86821r5_rule

STIG ID: RHEL-07-030870

Severity: CAT II



Vul ID: V-73165

Rule ID: SV-87817r3_rule

STIG ID: RHEL-07-030871

Severity: CAT II



Vul ID: V-73167

Rule ID: SV-87819r4_rule

STIG ID: RHEL-07-030872

Severity: CAT II



Vul ID: V-73171

Rule ID: SV-87823r4_rule

STIG ID: RHEL-07-030873

Severity: CAT II



Vul ID: V-73173

Rule ID: SV-87825r5_rule

STIG ID: RHEL-07-030874

Severity: CAT II

See Also

https://workbench.cisecurity.org/files/2688

Item Details

Category: AUDIT AND ACCOUNTABILITY

References: 800-53|AU-3, CSCv7|4.8

Plugin: Unix

Control ID: 5c2b5088c0aa8ca73122b5ea8aeadc3b763dee8ce0222215923a278351e2c758