Information
Inaccurate time stamps make it more difficult to correlate events and can lead to an inaccurate analysis. Determining the correct time a particular event occurred on a system is critical when conducting forensic analysis and investigating system events. Sources outside the configured acceptable allowance (drift) may be inaccurate.
Synchronizing internal information system clocks provides uniformity of time stamps for information systems with multiple system clocks and systems connected over a network.
Organizations should consider endpoints that may not have regular access to the authoritative time server (e.g., mobile, teleworking, and tactical endpoints).
Satisfies: SRG-OS-000355-GPOS-00143, SRG-OS-000356-GPOS-00144
Solution
Edit the "/etc/ntp.conf" file and add or update an entry to define "maxpoll" to "10" as follows:
maxpoll 10
If NTP was running and "maxpoll" was updated, the NTP service must be restarted:
# systemctl restart ntpd
If NTP was not running, it must be started:
# systemctl start ntpd