4.1.5 Ensure session initiation information is collected - utmp

Warning! Audit Deprecated

This audit has been deprecated and will be removed in a future update.

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Information

Monitor session initiation events. The parameters in this section track changes to the files associated with session events. The file /var/run/utmp tracks all currently logged in users. All audit records will be tagged with the identifier "session." The /var/log/wtmp file tracks logins, logouts, shutdown, and reboot events. The file /var/log/btmp keeps track of failed login attempts and can be read by entering the command /usr/bin/last -f /var/log/btmp . All audit records will be tagged with the identifier "logins."
Rationale:
Monitoring these files for changes could alert a system administrator to logins occurring at unusual hours, which could indicate intruder activity (i.e. a user logging in at a time when they do not normally log in).

Solution

Edit or create a file in the /etc/audit/rules.d/ directory ending in .rules Example: vi /etc/audit/rules.d/logins.rules and add the following lines:
-w /var/run/utmp -p wa -k session -w /var/log/wtmp -p wa -k logins -w /var/log/btmp -p wa -k logins
Notes:
The last command can be used to read /var/log/wtmp (last with no parameters) and /var/run/utmp (last -f /var/run/utmp)
Reloading the auditd config to set active settings may require a system reboot.

See Also

https://workbench.cisecurity.org/files/2485

Item Details

Category: AUDIT AND ACCOUNTABILITY

References: 800-53|AU-12, CSCv7|5.1

Plugin: Unix

Control ID: 62aefec867f963dd3edb270acf54124d0f3affa48fa73f7963eebb2e268fbb0b