Vulnerability Discussion
Cron logging can be used to trace the successful or unsuccessful execution of cron jobs. It can also be used to spot intrusions into the use of the cron facility by unauthorized and malicious users.
Check
Verify that "rsyslog" is configured to log cron events with the following command:
Note: If another logging package is used, substitute the utility configuration file for "/etc/rsyslog.conf" or "/etc/rsyslog.d/*.conf" files.
$ sudo grep -s cron /etc/rsyslog.conf /etc/rsyslog.d/*.conf
/etc/rsyslog.conf:*.info;mail.none;authpriv.none;cron.none /var/log/messages
/etc/rsyslog.conf:cron.* /var/log/cron
If the command does not return a response, check for cron logging all facilities with the following command:
$ sudo grep -s /var/log/messages /etc/rsyslog.conf /etc/rsyslog.d/*.conf
/etc/rsyslog.conf:*.info;mail.none;authpriv.none;cron.none /var/log/messages
If "rsyslog" is not logging messages for the cron facility or all facilities, this is a finding.
Fix
Configure "rsyslog" to log all cron messages by adding or updating the following line to "/etc/rsyslog.conf" or a configuration file in the /etc/rsyslog.d/ directory:
cron.* /var/log/cron
The rsyslog daemon must be restarted for the changes to take effect:
$ sudo systemctl restart rsyslog.service