SV-253338r1186375: The security event log size must be configured to a value that holds at least one week's worth of audit records. | Microsoft Windows 11 STIG SCAP Benchmark

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Assessment Title

Rule Text

The security event log size must be configured to a value that holds at least one week's worth of audit records.

Description

Discussion Text

Inadequate log size will cause the log to fill up quickly. This may prevent audit events from being recorded properly and require frequent attention by administrative personnel. System Administrators (SAs) must monitor the volume of security event audit records and increase the registry value for the log size as needed.

How this relates to the STIG checklist: STIG vs SCAP benchmark.

IA Controls

NIST SP 800-53

Not mappedCCI-001849

References

DPMS Target Microsoft Windows 11 DISA DPMS Target Microsoft Windows 11 5471

SCC Automation Reference

The reconstructed evaluation script behind this rule's OVAL check(s) — every module a compound check combines, with this rule's own concrete values and DISA's SCC tool's real per-module mechanism curated from static teardown of SCC releases.

# Windows PowerShell
# Reconstructed from oval:mil.disa.stig.windows11:def:253338
# The security event log size must be configured to a value that holds at least one week's worth of audit records.
# Per-module read mechanism curated from static teardown of DISA's SCC tool
# (SCAP Compliance Checker) -- see the SCC Automation Reference above.

# The Security event log size is configured to 5120000 KB or greater
# registry_object (registry_test)
function test_1 {
  return (((@{String='reg_sz';ExpandString='reg_expand_sz';Binary='reg_binary';DWord='reg_dword';MultiString='reg_multi_sz';QWord='reg_qword';None='reg_none'}[(Get-Item -Path 'Registry::HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\EventLog\Security').GetValueKind('MaxSize').ToString()]) -eq 'reg_dword') -and (((Get-ItemProperty -Path 'Registry::HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\EventLog\Security' -Name 'MaxSize' -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue) | Select-Object -ExpandProperty 'MaxSize') -ge 5120000))
}

if (test_1) {
  Write-Output "PASS"
} else {
  Write-Output "FAIL"
}

Assessment Script Powered by AISyntax-verified

A standalone PowerShell script to assess this control automatically. Review before running it in your environment.

Syntax-checked as valid PowerShell. Not executed here — running it for real needs the actual ms_windows_11 target this check assesses.

# oval:mil.disa.stig.windows11:def:253338
if (Test-Path -Path "HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\EventLog\Security" -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue) { $logSize = (Get-ItemProperty -Path "HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\EventLog\Security" -Name "MaxSize").MaxSize; if ($logSize -ge 5120000) { Write-Output "PASS"; exit 0 } } Write-Output "FAIL"; exit 1

Remediation

Configure the policy value for Computer Configuration >> Administrative Templates >> Windows Components >> Event Log Service >> Security >> "Specify the maximum log file size (KB)" to "Enabled" with a "Maximum Log Size (KB)" of a value that will contain one week of audit records or greater.

If the system is configured to send audit records directly to an audit server, this must be documented with the ISSO.