Profile Applicability:
Level 2

Description:
 The audit package (auditd) provides the user-space component to the Linux Audit subsystem, allowing the system to record security-relevant events. Ensuring the audit package is installed is essential for system monitoring and compliance.

Rationale:
 Installing the audit package enables administrators to collect detailed logs of system activity, supporting security monitoring, forensic investigations, and compliance requirements.

Impact:
 Pros:

  • Enables comprehensive auditing and logging of system events.

  • Supports compliance with security policies and regulations.

Cons:

  • Installation alone does not configure auditing policies; further setup is needed.

Default Value:
 The audit package may not be installed by default on all systems.

Pre-requisites:

  • Root or sudo privileges to install packages.

Remediation:

Test Plan:

Using Linux command line:

  1. Check if the audit package is installed:

RPM-based systems:

rpm -q audit

Debian-based systems:

dpkg -l | grep audit
  1. Confirm package presence.

Implementation Plan:

Using Linux command line:

  1. Install the audit package if missing:

RPM-based:

yum install audit -y

Debian-based:

apt install auditd -y


       2.  Verify installation:

 auditctl --version


Backout Plan:

Using Linux command line:

  1. Remove the audit package if necessary:

RPM-based:

yum remove audit -y

Debian-based:

apt remove auditd -y
  1. Confirm removal.

References: