1.1.11 Ensure separate partition exists for /var/log (Scored)
Profile Applicability
Level 2 - Server Level 2 - Workstation
Description
The /var/log directory is used by system services to store log data .
Rationale
There are two important reasons to ensure that system logs are stored on a separate partition: protection against resource exhaustion (since logs can grow quite large) and protection of audit data.
Audit
Run the following command and verify output shows /var/log is mounted:
# mount | grep /var/log /dev/xvdh1 on /var/log type ext4 (rw,relatime,data=ordered)
Remediation
For new installations, during installation create a custom partition setup and specify a separate partition for /var/log.
For systems that were previously installed, create a new partition and configure /etc/fstab as appropriate.
Impact
Resizing filesystems is a common activity in cloud-hosted servers. Separate filesystem partitions may prevent successful resizing, or may require the installation of additional tools solely for the purpose of resizing operations. The use of these additional tools may introduce their own security considerations.
References
AJ Lewis, “LVM HOWTO”, http://tldp.org/HOWTO/LVM-HOWTO/