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Ensure real-time clock is set to UTC

An XCCDF Rule

Description

Ensure that the system real-time clock (RTC) is set to Coordinated Universal Time (UTC).

Rationale

If time stamps are not consistently applied and there is no common time reference, it is difficult to perform forensic analysis. Time stamps generated by the operating system include date and time. Time is commonly expressed in UTC, a modern continuation of GMT, or local time with an offset from UTC.

ID
xccdf_org.ssgproject.content_rule_ensure_rtc_utc_configuration
Severity
High
References
Updated



Remediation - Shell Script

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

if timedatectl status | grep -i "time zone" | grep -iv 'UTC\|GMT'; then
    timedatectl set-timezone UTC
fi