Ensure Security Auditing Flags For User-Attributable Events Are Configured Per Local Organizational Requirements

MediumLevel 2Automatedmacos

Description

Auditing is the capture and maintenance of information about security-related events. Auditable events often depend on differing organizational requirements. Audit: Requires aa, ad, lo and -ex, -fm, -fr, -fw (or -all) in the flags line of /etc/security/audit_control.

How it is checked

Audit method: Shell command

shell

l=$(/usr/bin/grep -e "^flags:" /etc/security/audit_control 2>/dev/null) || exit 1
f=",$(printf '%s' "${l#flags:}" | /usr/bin/tr -d ' '),"
miss=""
for x in aa ad lo; do case "$f" in *",$x,"*) ;; *) miss="$miss $x";; esac; done
case "$f" in
  *",-all,"*|*",all,"*) ;;
  *) for x in ex fm fr fw; do case "$f" in *",-$x,"*|*",$x,"*) ;; *) miss="$miss -$x";; esac; done;;
esac
if [ -z "$miss" ]; then echo compliant; else echo "missing flags:$miss"; fi

Expected output: compliant

How it is fixed

Fix method: Guidance or infrastructure patch

Terminal: Edit the /etc/security/audit_control file and add aa, ad, -ex, -fm, -fr, -fw, and lo to flags. You can also substitute -all for -ex, -fm, -fr, and -fw.

Properties

Operating systems: macos-26
Tags: macoslogging-auditing
Reference: CIS Apple macOS 26 Tahoe Benchmark v1.1.0 - 3.2 Ensure Security Auditing Flags For User-Attributable Events Are Configured Per Local Organizational Requirements

Check this host

Run this on a machine you are allowed to audit. The scan is read-only.

shell

tmaegis scan --target macos --level 2