auditd and CAP_AUDIT_READ

[Richard Guy Briggs]

Hi Steve,

In commit 183775f155cb96d8012c2d493041a03f1b825b2f ("Do capabilities
check rather than uid") a switch was made from checking "getuid() != 0"
to checking CAP_AUDIT_CONTROL and CAP_AUDIT_READ via audit_can_control()
and audit_can_read().

Does auditd use the multicast socket? If not, there is no need for it
to check or have CAP_AUDIT_READ.

Having audit_can_read() available in lib/libaudit.c is certainly useful
regardless for other potential libaudit users like systemd.

- RGB

--
Richard Guy Briggs <***@redhat.com>
Sr. S/W Engineer, Kernel Security, Base Operating Systems
Remote, Ottawa, Red Hat Canada
IRC: rgb, SunRaycer
Voice: +1.647.777.2635, Internal: (81) 32635

[Steve Grubb]

On Wed, 14 Nov 2018 19:57:07 -0500

Post by Richard Guy Briggs
Hi Steve,
In commit 183775f155cb96d8012c2d493041a03f1b825b2f ("Do capabilities
check rather than uid") a switch was made from checking "getuid() !=
0" to checking CAP_AUDIT_CONTROL and CAP_AUDIT_READ via
audit_can_control() and audit_can_read().
Does auditd use the multicast socket?

No. It uses the prime guaranteed delivery netlink connection.

Post by Richard Guy Briggs
If not, there is no need for it to check or have CAP_AUDIT_READ

I thought that the prime audit connection requires a capability check
to ensure a process without proper privilege does not replace the audit
daemon...since that's now possible. Are there privilege checks for who
can connect to the audit socket? Shouldn't that process also have
CAP_AUDIT_READ since that is what it will be doing?

Post by Richard Guy Briggs
Having audit_can_read() available in lib/libaudit.c is certainly
useful regardless for other potential libaudit users like systemd.

I have never tried to make libaudit work with multicast sockets because
I'm against the whole concept.

-Steve

[Paul Moore]

Post by Steve Grubb
On Wed, 14 Nov 2018 19:57:07 -0500

Post by Richard Guy Briggs
Hi Steve,
In commit 183775f155cb96d8012c2d493041a03f1b825b2f ("Do capabilities
check rather than uid") a switch was made from checking "getuid() !=
0" to checking CAP_AUDIT_CONTROL and CAP_AUDIT_READ via
audit_can_control() and audit_can_read().
Does auditd use the multicast socket?

No. It uses the prime guaranteed delivery netlink connection.

Post by Richard Guy Briggs
If not, there is no need for it to check or have CAP_AUDIT_READ

I thought that the prime audit connection requires a capability check
to ensure a process without proper privilege does not replace the audit
daemon...since that's now possible.

Establishing an audit daemon connection requires CAP_AUDIT_CONTROL.

[Richard Guy Briggs]

Post by Steve Grubb
On Wed, 14 Nov 2018 19:57:07 -0500

Post by Richard Guy Briggs
Hi Steve,
In commit 183775f155cb96d8012c2d493041a03f1b825b2f ("Do capabilities
check rather than uid") a switch was made from checking "getuid() !=
0" to checking CAP_AUDIT_CONTROL and CAP_AUDIT_READ via
audit_can_control() and audit_can_read().
Does auditd use the multicast socket?

No. It uses the prime guaranteed delivery netlink connection.

So all it needs is CAP_AUDIT_CONTROL as it did previously. Other user
applications that write AUDIT_USER* messages need CAP_AUDIT_WRITE.

CAP_AUDIT_READ gates the bind function which is used to join a multicast
group (of which there is only one).

Post by Steve Grubb

Post by Richard Guy Briggs
If not, there is no need for it to check or have CAP_AUDIT_READ

I thought that the prime audit connection requires a capability check
to ensure a process without proper privilege does not replace the audit
daemon...since that's now possible. Are there privilege checks for who
can connect to the audit socket? Shouldn't that process also have
CAP_AUDIT_READ since that is what it will be doing?

The only cap that will let a daemon be checked for replacement is
CAP_AUDIT_CONTROL. CAP_AUDIT_READ is only used for the unreliable
reception of multicast audit log records.

The unicast socket is gated by CAP_AUDIT_CONTROL and CAP_AUDIT_WRITE.
The multicast read-only unreliable socket is gated by CAP_AUDIT_READ.

Post by Steve Grubb

Post by Richard Guy Briggs
Having audit_can_read() available in lib/libaudit.c is certainly
useful regardless for other potential libaudit users like systemd.

I have never tried to make libaudit work with multicast sockets because
I'm against the whole concept.

In hindsight, so am I. This was one of the first things I implemented
when I started working on audit with Eric's enthusiasm and encouragement.

Post by Steve Grubb
-Steve

- RGB

--
Richard Guy Briggs <***@redhat.com>
Sr. S/W Engineer, Kernel Security, Base Operating Systems
Remote, Ottawa, Red Hat Canada
IRC: rgb, SunRaycer
Voice: +1.647.777.2635, Internal: (81) 32635

[Steve Grubb]

On Thu, 15 Nov 2018 08:23:46 -0500

Post by Richard Guy Briggs

Post by Steve Grubb
I thought that the prime audit connection requires a capability
check to ensure a process without proper privilege does not replace
the audit daemon...since that's now possible. Are there privilege
checks for who can connect to the audit socket? Shouldn't that
process also have CAP_AUDIT_READ since that is what it will be
doing?

The only cap that will let a daemon be checked for replacement is
CAP_AUDIT_CONTROL. CAP_AUDIT_READ is only used for the unreliable
reception of multicast audit log records.
The unicast socket is gated by CAP_AUDIT_CONTROL and CAP_AUDIT_WRITE.
The multicast read-only unreliable socket is gated by
CAP_AUDIT_READ.

My understanding was that CAP_AUDIT_READ was required by everything
that read, including unicast. That is why it checks that capability
CAP_AUDIT_READ. Shouldn't everything reading need that capability?

-Steve

[Richard Guy Briggs]

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[Steve Grubb]

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