Vulnerability Discussion

Only authorized personnel should be aware of errors and the details of the errors. Error messages are an indicator of an organization's operational state or can identify the operating system or platform. Additionally, Personally Identifiable Information (PII) and operational information must not be revealed through error messages to unauthorized personnel or their designated representatives.

The structure and content of error messages must be carefully considered by the organization and development team. The extent to which the information system is able to identify and handle error conditions is guided by organizational policy and operational requirements.

Check

Verify that the Ubuntu operating system configures the /var/log/syslog file with mode 0640 or less permissive.

Check the /var/log/syslog permissions by running the following command:

# stat -c "%n %a" /var/log/syslog

/var/log/syslog 640

If a value of "640" or less permissive is not returned, this is a finding.

Fix

Configure the Ubuntu operating system to have permissions of 0640 o for the /var/log/syslog file by running the following command:

# sudo chmod 0640 /var/log/syslog