Ensure journald is configured to compress large log files

An XCCDF Rule

Description

The journald system can compress large log files to avoid fill the system disk.

Rationale

Log files that are not properly compressed run the risk of growing so large that they fill up the log partition. Valuable logging information could be lost if the log partition becomes full.

ID: xccdf_org.ssgproject.content_rule_journald_compress
Severity: Medium
Updated: 8 months ago

- name: Setting unquoted shell-style assignment of 'Compress' to 'yes' in '/etc/systemd/journald.conf'
  block:

  - name: Check for duplicate values
    lineinfile:
      path: /etc/systemd/journald.conf      create: true
      regexp: ^\s*Compress=
      state: absent
    check_mode: true
    changed_when: false
    register: dupes

  - name: Deduplicate values from /etc/systemd/journald.conf
    lineinfile:
      path: /etc/systemd/journald.conf
      create: true
      regexp: ^\s*Compress=
      state: absent
    when: dupes.found is defined and dupes.found > 1

  - name: Insert correct line to /etc/systemd/journald.conf
    lineinfile:
      path: /etc/systemd/journald.conf
      create: true
      regexp: ^\s*Compress=
      line: Compress=yes
      state: present
      insertbefore: ^# Compress
      validate: /usr/bin/bash -n %s
  when: ansible_virtualization_type not in ["docker", "lxc", "openvz", "podman", "container"]
  tags:
  - journald_compress
  - low_complexity
  - low_disruption
  - medium_severity
  - no_reboot_needed
  - restrict_strategy

# Remediation is applicable only in certain platforms
if [ ! -f /.dockerenv ] && [ ! -f /run/.containerenv ]; then

if [ -e "/etc/systemd/journald.conf" ] ; then
    
    LC_ALL=C sed -i "/^\s*Compress\s*=\s*/d" "/etc/systemd/journald.conf"else
    touch "/etc/systemd/journald.conf"
fi
# make sure file has newline at the end
sed -i -e '$a\' "/etc/systemd/journald.conf"

cp "/etc/systemd/journald.conf" "/etc/systemd/journald.conf.bak"
# Insert before the line matching the regex '^#\s*Compress'.
line_number="$(LC_ALL=C grep -n "^#\s*Compress" "/etc/systemd/journald.conf.bak" | LC_ALL=C sed 's/:.*//g')"
if [ -z "$line_number" ]; then
    # There was no match of '^#\s*Compress', insert at
    # the end of the file.
    printf '%s\n' "Compress=yes" >> "/etc/systemd/journald.conf"
else
    head -n "$(( line_number - 1 ))" "/etc/systemd/journald.conf.bak" > "/etc/systemd/journald.conf"
    printf '%s\n' "Compress=yes" >> "/etc/systemd/journald.conf"
    tail -n "+$(( line_number ))" "/etc/systemd/journald.conf.bak" >> "/etc/systemd/journald.conf"
fi
# Clean up after ourselves.
rm "/etc/systemd/journald.conf.bak"

else
    >&2 echo 'Remediation is not applicable, nothing was done'
fi

Ensure journald is configured to compress large log files

Description

Rationale

Remediation - Ansible

Remediation - Shell Script