cis-ubuntu1204-v110-9-3-2

name	cis-ubuntu1204-v110-9-3-2
description	Set LogLevel to INFO
category	cis-os-hardening
version	1.1.0
author	cyberstrike-official
tags	["cis","ubuntu",12.04,"linux","authentication","ssh","logging"]
cis_id	9.3.2
cis_benchmark	CIS Ubuntu 12.04 LTS Server Benchmark v1.1.0
tech_stack	["ubuntu","linux"]
cwe_ids	[]
chains_with	[]
prerequisites	[]
severity_boost	{}

9.3.2 Set LogLevel to INFO (Scored)

Profile Applicability

• Level 1

Description

The INFO parameter specifies that login and logout activity will be logged.

Rationale

SSH provides several logging levels with varying amounts of verbosity. DEBUG is specifically not recommended other than strictly for debugging SSH communications since it provides so much data that it is difficult to identify important security information. INFO level is the basic level that only records login activity of SSH users. In many situations, such as Incident Response, it is important to determine when a particular user was active on a system. The logout record can eliminate those users who disconnected, which helps narrow the field.

Audit Procedure

Using Command Line

To verify the correct SSH setting, run the following command and verify that the output is as shown:

grep "^LogLevel" /etc/ssh/sshd_config

Expected Result

LogLevel INFO

Remediation

Using Command Line

Edit the /etc/ssh/sshd_config file to set the parameter as follows:

LogLevel INFO

Default Value

LogLevel INFO

References

• CIS Ubuntu 12.04 LTS Server Benchmark v1.1.0

Profile

Level 1 - Scored