Rule version SLEM-05-654130 · STIG v1 · 2026-08-20
Once an attacker establishes initial access to a system, the attacker often attempts to create a persistent method of reestablishing access. One way to accomplish this is for the attacker to simply create a new account. Auditing account creation mitigates this risk.
To address access requirements, SLEM 5 may be integrated with enterprise-level authentication/access/auditing mechanisms that meet or exceed access control policy requirements.
Verify SLEM 5 generates an audit record when modifications occur to the "/etc/group" file with the following command:
> sudo auditctl -l | grep -w '/etc/group'
-w /etc/group -p wa -k account_modIf the command does not return a line that matches the example or the line is commented out, this is a finding.
Note: The "-k" value is arbitrary and can be different from the example output above.
Configure SLEM 5 to generate an audit record when all modifications to the "/etc/group" file occur.
Add or modify the following line in the "/etc/audit/rules.d/audit.rules" file:
-w /etc/group -p wa -k account_mod
To reload the rules file, restart the audit daemon:
> sudo systemctl restart auditd.service
or issue the following command:
> sudo augenrules --load