---
title: "HOST-AUD-006 Privileged Command Use Not Audited"
canonical: https://openvapt.com/checks/HOST-AUD-006.html
html: https://openvapt.com/checks/HOST-AUD-006.html
site: OpenVAPT, https://openvapt.com/
license: OpenVAPT Source-Available Licence 1.3, https://openvapt.com/legal/licence-text.html
modified: 2026-10-14
version: 0.1.0-alpha.6
---

# HOST-AUD-006 Privileged Command Use Not Audited

Checks that the audit system records when ordinary users run privileged (setuid or setgid) programs.

- Domain: Server
- Severity: Low
- Control category: Logging and Monitoring
- Fix effort: low
- CVSS v3.1 vector: `CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:N`
- CIS Controls v8: 8.5
- NIST CSF 2.0: PR.PS-04
- CWE: CWE-778
- OWASP Top 10 2021: A09:2021
- NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5: AU-2, AU-12, AC-6(9)
- Benchmark topic: Audit use of privileged commands (CIS Controls v8 8.5) (topic only, no benchmark text)

## Why It Matters

Programs such as sudo, su, passwd and mount run with elevated rights. Recording each execution by a real user (auid at or above the first normal user id) shows who used privilege and when, which is the core of a usable audit trail.

## How It Detects

Requires at least one execution rule that combines -F perm=x with an -F auid>= filter (the usual form for privileged programs), or an execve rule filtered on euid=0. Reads the active lines of /etc/audit/rules.d/*.rules and /etc/audit/audit.rules; the audit log itself is never read. The loaded rule set is not read (auditctl is not on the read-only allow-list), so when the rules are in the files the allow-listed systemctl is-active auditd must report active for a Pass; otherwise the result is Incomplete, and the evidence says the loaded rules were not verified.

## How to Fix

Generate rules for every setuid and setgid program:  find / -xdev \( -perm -4000 -o -perm -2000 \) -type f | awk '{print "-a always,exit -F path=" $1 " -F perm=x -F auid>=1000 -F auid!=unset -k privileged"}' > /etc/audit/rules.d/50-privileged.rules  then augenrules --load.

## How to Verify

```
auditctl -l | grep 'perm=x'
```

## Learn the Theory

- [P21 Audit Logging and Monitoring Depth](https://openvapt.com/academy/p21.md)

## References

- [auditctl(8), Linux man-pages](https://man7.org/linux/man-pages/man8/auditctl.8.html)
- [NIST SP 800-92, Guide to Computer Security Log Management](https://csrc.nist.gov/pubs/sp/800/92/final)
- [NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5, Security and Privacy Controls](https://csrc.nist.gov/pubs/sp/800/53/r5/upd1/final)

## Source Code

https://github.com/OpenVAPT/openvapt/blob/574f7f3333c44b75a3c649e2d93a76d507f75adf/internal/checks/host/audit_journal.go

Run it: `openvapt scan --only HOST-AUD-006`. Read it offline: `openvapt explain HOST-AUD-006`.

---

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