Details
Record events affecting the group , passwd (user IDs), shadow and gshadow (passwords) or /etc/security/opasswd (old passwords, based on remember parameter in the PAM configuration) files. The parameters in this section will watch the files to see if they have been opened for write or have had attribute changes (e.g. permissions) and tag them with the identifier ‘identity’ in the audit log file.
Rationale:
Unexpected changes to these files could be an indication that the system has been compromised and that an unauthorized user is attempting to hide their activities or compromise additional accounts.
Solution
Edit or create a file in the /etc/audit/rules.d/ directory ending in .rules
Example: vi /etc/audit/rules.d/audit.rules
and add the following lines:
-w /etc/group -p wa -k identity
-w /etc/passwd -p wa -k identity
-w /etc/gshadow -p wa -k identity
-w /etc/shadow -p wa -k identity
-w /etc/security/opasswd -p wa -k identity
Notes:
Reloading the auditd config to set active settings may require a system reboot.
This Benchmark recommendation maps to:
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7 Security Technical Implementation Guide:
Version 2, Release: 3 Benchmark Date: 26 Apr 2019
Vul ID: V-72197
Rule ID: SV-86821r5_rule
STIG ID: RHEL-07-030870
Severity: CAT II
Vul ID: V-73165
Rule ID: SV-87817r3_rule
STIG ID: RHEL-07-030871
Severity: CAT II
Vul ID: V-73167
Rule ID: SV-87819r4_rule
STIG ID: RHEL-07-030872
Severity: CAT II
Vul ID: V-73171
Rule ID: SV-87823r4_rule
STIG ID: RHEL-07-030873
Severity: CAT II
Vul ID: V-73173
Rule ID: SV-87825r5_rule
STIG ID: RHEL-07-030874
Severity: CAT II
Supportive Information
The following resource is also helpful.
This security hardening control applies to the following category of controls within NIST 800-53: Audit and Accountability.This control applies to the following type of system Unix.