Add nosuid Option to /var/log/audit

This page is not yet available in Spanish. We are working on its translation.
If you have any questions or feedback about our current translation project, feel free to reach out to us!

Description

The nosuid mount option can be used to prevent execution of setuid programs in /var/log/audit. The SUID and SGID permissions should not be required in directories containing audit log files. Add the nosuid option to the fourth column of /etc/fstab for the line which controls mounting of /var/log/audit.

Rationale

The presence of SUID and SGID executables should be tightly controlled. Users should not be able to execute SUID or SGID binaries from partitions designated for audit log files.

Remediation

Shell script

The following script can be run on the host to remediate the issue.

#!/bin/bash

# Remediation is applicable only in certain platforms
if ( ! ( { rpm --quiet -q kernel ;} && { rpm --quiet -q rpm-ostree ;} && { rpm --quiet -q bootc ;} ) && ! ( [ -f /.dockerenv ] || [ -f /run/.containerenv ] ) ) && { findmnt --kernel "/var/log/audit" > /dev/null || findmnt --fstab "/var/log/audit" > /dev/null; }; then

function perform_remediation {
    
        # the mount point /var/log/audit has to be defined in /etc/fstab
        # before this remediation can be executed. In case it is not defined, the
        # remediation aborts and no changes regarding the mount point are done.
        mount_point_match_regexp="$(printf "^[[:space:]]*[^#].*[[:space:]]%s[[:space:]]" "/var/log/audit")"

    grep "$mount_point_match_regexp" -q /etc/fstab \
        || { echo "The mount point '/var/log/audit' is not even in /etc/fstab, so we can't set up mount options" >&2;
                echo "Not remediating, because there is no record of /var/log/audit in /etc/fstab" >&2; return 1; }
    


    mount_point_match_regexp="$(printf "^[[:space:]]*[^#].*[[:space:]]%s[[:space:]]" /var/log/audit)"

    # If the mount point is not in /etc/fstab, get previous mount options from /etc/mtab
    if ! grep -q "$mount_point_match_regexp" /etc/fstab; then
        # runtime opts without some automatic kernel/userspace-added defaults
        previous_mount_opts=$(grep "$mount_point_match_regexp" /etc/mtab | head -1 |  awk '{print $4}' \
                    | sed -E "s/(rw|defaults|seclabel|nosuid)(,|$)//g;s/,$//")
        [ "$previous_mount_opts" ] && previous_mount_opts+=","
        # In iso9660 filesystems mtab could describe a "blocksize" value, this should be reflected in
        # fstab as "block".  The next variable is to satisfy shellcheck SC2050.
        fs_type=""
        if [  "$fs_type" == "iso9660" ] ; then
            previous_mount_opts=$(sed 's/blocksize=/block=/' <<< "$previous_mount_opts")
        fi
        echo " /var/log/audit  defaults,${previous_mount_opts}nosuid 0 0" >> /etc/fstab
    # If the mount_opt option is not already in the mount point's /etc/fstab entry, add it
    elif ! grep "$mount_point_match_regexp" /etc/fstab | grep -q "nosuid"; then
        previous_mount_opts=$(grep "$mount_point_match_regexp" /etc/fstab | awk '{print $4}')
        sed -i "s|\(${mount_point_match_regexp}.*${previous_mount_opts}\)|\1,nosuid|" /etc/fstab
    fi


    if mkdir -p "/var/log/audit"; then
        if mountpoint -q "/var/log/audit"; then
            mount -o remount --target "/var/log/audit"
        fi
    fi
}

perform_remediation

else
    >&2 echo 'Remediation is not applicable, nothing was done'
fi

Ansible playbook

The following playbook can be run with Ansible to remediate the issue.

- name: Gather the package facts
  package_facts:
    manager: auto
  tags:
  - NIST-800-53-AC-6
  - NIST-800-53-AC-6(1)
  - NIST-800-53-CM-6(a)
  - NIST-800-53-CM-7(a)
  - NIST-800-53-CM-7(b)
  - NIST-800-53-MP-7
  - configure_strategy
  - high_disruption
  - low_complexity
  - medium_severity
  - mount_option_var_log_audit_nosuid
  - no_reboot_needed

- name: 'Add nosuid Option to /var/log/audit: Check information associated to mountpoint'
  command: findmnt --fstab '/var/log/audit'
  register: device_name
  failed_when: device_name.rc > 1
  changed_when: false
  when:
  - ( not ( "kernel" in ansible_facts.packages and "rpm-ostree" in ansible_facts.packages
    and "bootc" in ansible_facts.packages ) and not ( ansible_virtualization_type
    in ["docker", "lxc", "openvz", "podman", "container"] ) )
  - '"/var/log/audit" in ansible_mounts | map(attribute="mount") | list'
  tags:
  - NIST-800-53-AC-6
  - NIST-800-53-AC-6(1)
  - NIST-800-53-CM-6(a)
  - NIST-800-53-CM-7(a)
  - NIST-800-53-CM-7(b)
  - NIST-800-53-MP-7
  - configure_strategy
  - high_disruption
  - low_complexity
  - medium_severity
  - mount_option_var_log_audit_nosuid
  - no_reboot_needed

- name: 'Add nosuid Option to /var/log/audit: Create mount_info dictionary variable'
  set_fact:
    mount_info: '{{ mount_info|default({})|combine({item.0: item.1}) }}'
  with_together:
  - '{{ device_name.stdout_lines[0].split() | list | lower }}'
  - '{{ device_name.stdout_lines[1].split() | list }}'
  when:
  - ( not ( "kernel" in ansible_facts.packages and "rpm-ostree" in ansible_facts.packages
    and "bootc" in ansible_facts.packages ) and not ( ansible_virtualization_type
    in ["docker", "lxc", "openvz", "podman", "container"] ) )
  - '"/var/log/audit" in ansible_mounts | map(attribute="mount") | list'
  - device_name.stdout is defined and device_name.stdout_lines is defined
  - (device_name.stdout | length > 0)
  tags:
  - NIST-800-53-AC-6
  - NIST-800-53-AC-6(1)
  - NIST-800-53-CM-6(a)
  - NIST-800-53-CM-7(a)
  - NIST-800-53-CM-7(b)
  - NIST-800-53-MP-7
  - configure_strategy
  - high_disruption
  - low_complexity
  - medium_severity
  - mount_option_var_log_audit_nosuid
  - no_reboot_needed

- name: 'Add nosuid Option to /var/log/audit: If /var/log/audit not mounted, craft
    mount_info manually'
  set_fact:
    mount_info: '{{ mount_info|default({})|combine({item.0: item.1}) }}'
  with_together:
  - - target
    - source
    - fstype
    - options
  - - /var/log/audit
    - ''
    - ''
    - defaults
  when:
  - ( not ( "kernel" in ansible_facts.packages and "rpm-ostree" in ansible_facts.packages
    and "bootc" in ansible_facts.packages ) and not ( ansible_virtualization_type
    in ["docker", "lxc", "openvz", "podman", "container"] ) )
  - '"/var/log/audit" in ansible_mounts | map(attribute="mount") | list'
  - ("--fstab" | length == 0)
  - device_name.stdout is defined and device_name.stdout_lines is defined
  - (device_name.stdout | length == 0)
  tags:
  - NIST-800-53-AC-6
  - NIST-800-53-AC-6(1)
  - NIST-800-53-CM-6(a)
  - NIST-800-53-CM-7(a)
  - NIST-800-53-CM-7(b)
  - NIST-800-53-MP-7
  - configure_strategy
  - high_disruption
  - low_complexity
  - medium_severity
  - mount_option_var_log_audit_nosuid
  - no_reboot_needed

- name: 'Add nosuid Option to /var/log/audit: Make sure nosuid option is part of the
    to /var/log/audit options'
  set_fact:
    mount_info: '{{ mount_info | combine( {''options'':''''~mount_info.options~'',nosuid''
      }) }}'
  when:
  - ( not ( "kernel" in ansible_facts.packages and "rpm-ostree" in ansible_facts.packages
    and "bootc" in ansible_facts.packages ) and not ( ansible_virtualization_type
    in ["docker", "lxc", "openvz", "podman", "container"] ) )
  - '"/var/log/audit" in ansible_mounts | map(attribute="mount") | list'
  - mount_info is defined and "nosuid" not in mount_info.options
  tags:
  - NIST-800-53-AC-6
  - NIST-800-53-AC-6(1)
  - NIST-800-53-CM-6(a)
  - NIST-800-53-CM-7(a)
  - NIST-800-53-CM-7(b)
  - NIST-800-53-MP-7
  - configure_strategy
  - high_disruption
  - low_complexity
  - medium_severity
  - mount_option_var_log_audit_nosuid
  - no_reboot_needed

- name: 'Add nosuid Option to /var/log/audit: Ensure /var/log/audit is mounted with
    nosuid option'
  mount:
    path: /var/log/audit
    src: '{{ mount_info.source }}'
    opts: '{{ mount_info.options }}'
    state: mounted
    fstype: '{{ mount_info.fstype }}'
  when:
  - ( not ( "kernel" in ansible_facts.packages and "rpm-ostree" in ansible_facts.packages
    and "bootc" in ansible_facts.packages ) and not ( ansible_virtualization_type
    in ["docker", "lxc", "openvz", "podman", "container"] ) )
  - '"/var/log/audit" in ansible_mounts | map(attribute="mount") | list'
  - mount_info is defined
  - (device_name.stdout is defined and (device_name.stdout | length > 0)) or ("--fstab"
    | length == 0)
  tags:
  - NIST-800-53-AC-6
  - NIST-800-53-AC-6(1)
  - NIST-800-53-CM-6(a)
  - NIST-800-53-CM-7(a)
  - NIST-800-53-CM-7(b)
  - NIST-800-53-MP-7
  - configure_strategy
  - high_disruption
  - low_complexity
  - medium_severity
  - mount_option_var_log_audit_nosuid
  - no_reboot_needed