PostgreSQL must provide an immediate real-time alert to appropriate support staff of all audit log failures.
Overview
Finding ID
Version
Rule ID
IA Controls
Severity
V-261920
CD16-00-007400
SV-261920r1000973_rule
Medium
Description
It is critical for the appropriate personnel to be aware if a system is at risk of failing to process audit logs as required. Without a real-time alert, security personnel may be unaware of an impending failure of the audit capability, and system operation may be adversely affected.
The appropriate support staff include, at a minimum, the information system security officer (ISSO) and the database administrator (DBA)/system administrator (SA).
A failure of database auditing will result in either the database continuing to function without auditing or in a complete halt to database operations. When audit processing fails, appropriate personnel must be alerted immediately to avoid further downtime or unaudited transactions.
Alerts provide organizations with urgent messages. Real-time alerts provide these messages immediately (i.e., the time from event detection to alert occurs in seconds or less).
Review PostgreSQL, OS, or third-party logging software settings to determine whether a real-time alert will be sent to the appropriate personnel when auditing fails for any reason.
If real-time alerts are not sent upon auditing failure, this is a finding.
Fix Text (F-65682r1000764_fix)
Configure the system to provide an immediate real-time alert to appropriate support staff when an audit log failure occurs.
It is possible to create scripts or implement third-party tools to enable real-time alerting for audit failures in PostgreSQL.