Ensure CockroachDB Logging Is Enabled and Logs Are Securely Stored

HighLevel 1Manual reviewcockroachdb

Description

CockroachDB's built-in logging must remain enabled to capture database events, and log files should be stored in a secure location with appropriate access restrictions. Misconfiguration (for example an empty or invalid --log-dir) can prevent logs from being retained.

How it is checked

Audit method: Manual review

This recommendation cannot be checked automatically. A scan lists it with these instructions when you pass --include-manual.

Run systemctl cat cockroach.service | grep ExecStart: it should set --log-dir=<path>, --log-config-file or --log={yaml} (otherwise logs go to <store>/logs). In that directory confirm cockroach.log, cockroach-security.log, cockroach-sql-audit.log and cockroach-sql-auth.log exist with recent timestamps, the directory is owned by cockroach with mode 700 or stricter, and log files are 640 or stricter.

How it is fixed

Fix method: Guidance or infrastructure patch

mkdir -p /var/lib/cockroach/logs; chown -R cockroach:cockroach /var/lib/cockroach/logs; chmod 700 /var/lib/cockroach/logs; add --log-dir=/var/lib/cockroach/logs (or --log-config-file=<yaml>) to ExecStart in cockroach.service, then systemctl daemon-reload and perform a rolling restart.

Properties

Operating systems: Any
Tags: cockroachdblogging
Reference: CIS CockroachDB v25.x Benchmark v1.0.0 - 3.1 Ensure CockroachDB Logging Is Enabled and Logs Are Securely Stored