STIGQter: STIG Summary: Tri-Lab Operating System Stack (TOSS) 5 Security Technical Implementation Guide Version: 1 Release: 1 Benchmark Date: 26 Mar 2026:

TOSS 5 audit logs must be group-owned by root or by a restricted logging group to prevent unauthorized read access.

DISA Rule

SV-282431r1200273_rule

Vulnerability Number

V-282431

Group Title

SRG-OS-000057-GPOS-00027

Rule Version

TOSS-05-000400

Severity

CAT II

CCI(s)

• CCI-000162 - Protect audit information from unauthorized access.
• CCI-000163 - Protect audit information from unauthorized modification.
• CCI-000164 - Protect audit information from unauthorized deletion.
• CCI-001314 - Reveal error messages only to organization-defined personnel or roles.

Weight

10

Fix Recommendation

Change the group of the directory of "/var/log/audit" to be owned by a correct group.

Identify the group that is configured to own audit log:

$ sudo grep -P '^[ ]*log_group[ ]+=.*$' /etc/audit/auditd.conf

Change the ownership to that group:

$ sudo chgrp ${GROUP} /var/log/audit

Check Contents

Verify the audit logs are group-owned by "root" or a restricted logging group.

First determine if a group other than "root" has been assigned to the audit logs using the following command:

$ sudo grep log_group /etc/audit/auditd.conf

Determine where the audit logs are stored using the following command:

$ sudo grep -iw log_file /etc/audit/auditd.conf

log_file = /var/log/audit/audit.log

Using the location of the audit log file, determine if the audit log is group-owned by "root" using the following command:

$ sudo stat -c "%G %n" /var/log/audit/audit.log

root /var/log/audit/audit.log

If the audit log is not group-owned by "root" or the configured alternative logging group, this is a finding.

Vulnerability Number

V-282431

Documentable

False

Rule Version

TOSS-05-000400

Severity Override Guidance

Verify the audit logs are group-owned by "root" or a restricted logging group.

First determine if a group other than "root" has been assigned to the audit logs using the following command:

$ sudo grep log_group /etc/audit/auditd.conf

Determine where the audit logs are stored using the following command:

$ sudo grep -iw log_file /etc/audit/auditd.conf

log_file = /var/log/audit/audit.log

Using the location of the audit log file, determine if the audit log is group-owned by "root" using the following command:

$ sudo stat -c "%G %n" /var/log/audit/audit.log

root /var/log/audit/audit.log

If the audit log is not group-owned by "root" or the configured alternative logging group, this is a finding.

Check Content Reference

M

Target Key

5738