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audit(HW)

auditd(ADM)

auditsh(ADM)


 reduce(ADM)                     19 June 1992                     reduce(ADM)


 Name

    reduce - perform audit data analysis and reduction

 Syntax

    /tcb/bin/reduce [ -s session ] [ -p selectionfile ]

 Description

    reduce performs selective audit data reduction on compacted audit output
    files that were written by the audit daemon.  Each audit record from the
    compaction files is examined during reduction to see if it meets the
    selectivity criteria established by the audit administrator.  If so, the
    record is formatted and sent to standard output.

    Reduction is performed on all files written by the audit daemon during a
    specified boot session.  Each time the audit subsystem is enabled and
    disabled, a new session number is generated.  This session number is used
    to stamp the filenames generated during the session so that they are
    easily recognizable. The audit daemon records each filename to which it
    writes compacted data in a log file. The log file is always written to
    the secure directory, /tcb/files/audit.  Each session log file is
    uniquely named with the prefix CAFLOG. followed by the session number.
    Thus, by specifying a session number for reduction, reduce is able to
    locate the log file and read it to determine certain setup parameters and
    the list of input files to be reduced.

    Data is reduced based on a set of input selection criteria that governs
    the selection of records for printing. Records may be selected based on
    event types, time of event occurrence, user ID of record, group ID of
    record, or by specific object type. To selectively reduce, auditsh(ADM)
    is used to set up the audit selection file. This file is then specified
    to reduce upon invocation. Time interval selection allows for records to
    be selected only if they occurred within a certain time period. Event
    type selection allows records to be selected only if the specified event
    type is desired. Both user ID and group ID selection allow records that
    were generated by certain users or groups to be selected. Lastly, object
    selection applies to those record types referring to a specific file.
    Some records refer to multiple files and a single match for those record
    types will result in the record being selected. Time and event type
    selection always take precedence over user/group ID and object selection
    (for example, if a record has an event type that is not selected but the
    user ID is, the record will be discarded).  If a record is selected based
    on time and event type and if any of user ID, group ID, or object matches
    a field in the record, the record is selected. If only time and event
    types are specified, all records of matching event types in the interval
    are selected. If only event type selection is requested, all matching
    events are selected from every record produced in that session.  (For
    example, if the event mask enables selection for all events and no time
    interval is specified, all records will be listed.)

    The format of the reduced data varies on the type of event being pro-
    cessed.  Each record will include the process ID of the process being
    audited, the date and time of the event, the type of audit event, an
    indication of success or failure for the event, and if applicable, the
    object names that were accessed.

    Items that are displayed for events include the following:

    Process ID  The process ID of the process that generated the audit
                record.

    User IDs    The login user ID, effective user ID, real user ID, effective
                group ID, and the real group ID are output for the process
                generating the audit record.

    Date/Time   Each audit record is time stamped at generation time. The
                time value is formatted to produce a date/time string similar
                to that printed by ctime(S).

    Event type  Each audit record is classified into a certain event depend-
                ing on what type of system call was performed or what type of
                action was taken by a trusted application.

    Action      Many event types are broad categories into which certain
                actions are classified.  The reduction program makes use of
                other data in the record to provide further discrimination
                between process actions that fall into the category. For sys-
                tem calls, the actual system call audited is output. For
                applications, a more specific action identifier is provided.

    Object(s)   Many events involve files or special devices which are clas-
                sified as objects.  The name of the objects affected by pro-
                cess actions are recorded for data reduction. Depending on
                the event and action type, some output records may include
                one or more object names.

    Modes       For certain event types, the modes of a file or an IPC object
                may be modified.  For these records, the old and new values
                of the owner, group, and the object mode are displayed.

    Username    Some events are user-account oriented such as login and log-
                off as well as certain administrative functions. These output
                records include the username of the account that was respon-
                sible for the audited action.

    Result      Each output record carries an indicator of whether the action
                was successful or not. Unsuccessful actions are sometimes
                more important that successful ones since they may indicate
                attempts to penetrate the system. For system calls that fail,
                the specific error number and error message is output. For
                applications, an error message describing the failure is out-
                put.

 See also

    audit(HW), auditd(ADM), auditsh(ADM)

    ``Using the audit subsystem'' in the System Administrator's Guide

 Diagnostics

    Upon successful completion, the program exits with status 0.

 Value added

    reduce is an extension of AT&T System V provided by The Santa Cruz Opera-
    tion, Inc.


Typewritten Software • bear@typewritten.org • Edmonds, WA 98026