STIGQter STIGQter: STIG Summary: VMware vSphere 8.0 vCenter Appliance Photon OS 4.0 Security Technical Implementation Guide Version: 2 Release: 2 Benchmark Date: 01 Jul 2026:

The Photon operating system must generate audit records for all access and modifications to the opasswd file.

DISA Rule

SV-258899r991589_rule

Vulnerability Number

V-258899

Group Title

SRG-OS-000480-GPOS-00227

Rule Version

PHTN-40-000238

Severity

CAT II

CCI(s)

Weight

10

Fix Recommendation

Navigate to and open:

/etc/audit/rules.d/audit.STIG.rules

Add or update the following lines:

-w /etc/security/opasswd -p wa -k opasswd

At the command line, run the following command to load the new audit rules:

# /sbin/augenrules --load

Note: An "audit.STIG.rules" file is provided with this guidance for placement in "/etc/audit/rules.d" that contains all rules needed for auditd.

Note: An older "audit.STIG.rules" may exist and may reference older "GEN" SRG IDs. This file can be removed and replaced as necessary with an updated one.

Check Contents

At the command line, run the following command to verify an audit rule exists to audit the opasswd file:

# auditctl -l | grep -E /etc/security/opasswd

Expected result:

-w /etc/security/opasswd -p wa -k opasswd

If the opasswd file is not monitored for access or writes, this is a finding.

Note: This check depends on the "auditd" service to be in a running state for accurate results. The "auditd" service is enabled in control PHTN-40-000016.

Vulnerability Number

V-258899

Documentable

False

Rule Version

PHTN-40-000238

Severity Override Guidance

At the command line, run the following command to verify an audit rule exists to audit the opasswd file:

# auditctl -l | grep -E /etc/security/opasswd

Expected result:

-w /etc/security/opasswd -p wa -k opasswd

If the opasswd file is not monitored for access or writes, this is a finding.

Note: This check depends on the "auditd" service to be in a running state for accurate results. The "auditd" service is enabled in control PHTN-40-000016.

Check Content Reference

M

Target Key

5569