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CIS Ubuntu 14.04 LTS - 5.2.3 Ensure SSH LogLevel is set to INFO

DevOps & Security
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Verify SSH LogLevel is configured to INFO for adequate logging of login activity

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5.2.3 Ensure SSH LogLevel is set to INFO (Scored)

Profile Applicability

  • Level 1 - Server
  • Level 1 - Workstation

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

Run the following command and verify that output matches:

grep "^LogLevel" /etc/ssh/sshd_config

Expected Result

LogLevel INFO

Remediation

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

LogLevel INFO

Default Value

LogLevel INFO

References

  • CIS Controls: 16 - Account Monitoring and Control

Profile

  • Level 1 - Server
  • Level 1 - Workstation