SLEM 5 clock must, for networked systems, be synchronized to an authoritative DoW time source at least every 24 hours.

Inaccurate time stamps make it more difficult to correlate events and can lead to an inaccurate analysis. Determining the correct time a particular event occurred on a system is critical when conducting forensic analysis and investigating system events. Sources outside the configured acceptable allowance (drift) may be inaccurate.

Synchronizing internal information system clocks provides uniformity of time stamps for information systems with multiple system clocks and systems connected over a network.

Organizations should consider endpoints that may not have regular access to the authoritative time server (e.g., mobile, teleworking, and tactical endpoints).

Verify that SLEM 5 clock must be configured to synchronize to an authoritative DoW time source when the time difference is greater than one second with the following command:

     > sudo grep maxpoll /etc/chrony.conf
     server 0.us.pool.ntp.mil maxpoll 16

If the "server" parameter is not set to an authoritative DoW time source, "maxpoll" is greater than "16", the line is commented out, or the line is missing, this is a finding.

The SLEM 5 clock must be configured to synchronize to an authoritative DoW time source when the time difference is greater than one second.

To configure the system clock to synchronize to an authoritative DoW time source at least every 24 hours, edit the file "/etc/chrony.conf". Add or correct the following lines by replacing "<time_source>" with an authoritative DoW time source:

server <time_source> maxpoll 16