AlmaLinux OS 9 must allocate an audit_backlog_limit of sufficient size to capture processes that start prior to the audit daemon.

Overview

Finding ID	Version	Rule ID	IA Controls	Severity
V-269506	ALMA-09-051830	SV-269506r1101808_rule		Low

Description

Without the capability to generate audit records, it would be difficult to establish, correlate, and investigate the events relating to an incident or identify those responsible for one. If auditing is enabled late in the startup process, the actions of some startup processes may not be audited. Some audit systems also maintain state information only available if auditing is enabled before a given process is created. Audit records can be generated from various components within the information system (e.g., module or policy filter). Allocating an audit_backlog_limit of sufficient size is critical in maintaining a stable boot process. With an insufficient limit allocated, the system is susceptible to boot failures and crashes.

STIG	Date
CloudLinux AlmaLinux OS 9 Security Technical Implementation Guide	2025-05-22

Details

Check Text (C-73537r1101807_chk)

Verify AlmaLinux OS 9 allocates a sufficient audit_backlog_limit to capture processes that start prior to the audit daemon with the following command:

$ sudo grubby --info=ALL | grep args | grep 'audit_backlog_limit'

If the command returns any outputs, and audit_backlog_limit is less than "8192", this is a finding.

Fix Text (F-73438r1049883_fix)

Configure AlmaLinux OS 9 to allocate sufficient audit_backlog_limit to capture processes that start prior to the audit daemon with the following command:

$ grubby --update-kernel=ALL --args=audit_backlog_limit=8192