SV-254299r991558: Windows Server 2022 Event Viewer must be protected from unauthorized modification and deletion. | Microsoft Windows Server 2022 STIG SCAP Benchmark

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Assessment Title

Rule Text

Windows Server 2022 Event Viewer must be protected from unauthorized modification and deletion.

Description

Discussion Text

Protecting audit information also includes identifying and protecting the tools used to view and manipulate log data. Therefore, protecting audit tools is necessary to prevent unauthorized operation on audit information. Operating systems providing tools to interface with audit information will leverage user permissions and roles identifying the user accessing the tools and the corresponding rights the user enjoys to make access decisions regarding the modification or deletion of audit tools. Satisfies: SRG-OS-000257-GPOS-00098, SRG-OS-000258-GPOS-00099

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

IA Controls

NIST SP 800-53

Not mappedCCI-001494Not mappedCCI-001495

References

DPMS Target Microsoft Windows Server 2022 DISA DPMS Target Microsoft Windows Server 2022 5485

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.

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_server_2022 target this check assesses.

# OVAL Definition: oval:mil.disa.stig.windows2022:def:254299
$eventvwrPath = Join-Path $env:SystemRoot "System32\Eventvwr.exe"
if (-not (Test-Path $eventvwrPath)) { exit 1 }
$acl = Get-Acl $eventvwrPath
$expectedRights = @{
    "FullControl" = "TrustedInstaller"
    "ReadAndExecute" = "Administrators,SYSTEM,Users,ALL APPLICATION PACKAGES,ALL RESTRICTED APPLICATION PACKAGES"
}
$rightsToCheck = @("WriteData", "DeleteChild", "WriteEA", "StandardDelete", "AppendData", "WriteOwner", "WriteAttributes", "WriteDAC", "GenericWrite")
$compliant = $true
foreach ($right in $rightsToCheck) {
    foreach ($user in $acl.Access) {
        if ($user.IdentityReference -notin $expectedRights.FullControl -and ($user.AccessControlType -eq 'Allow' -or $user.AccessControlType -eq 'InheritOnly') -and $user.FileSystemRights -band ([Security.AccessControl.FileSystemRights]::$right) -ne 0) {
            $compliant = $false
            break
        }
    }
    if (!$compliant) { break }
}
if ($compliant) { Write-Output "PASS"; exit 0 } else { Write-Output "FAIL"; exit 1 }

Remediation

Configure the permissions on the "Eventvwr.exe" file to prevent modification by any groups or accounts other than TrustedInstaller. The default permissions listed below satisfy this requirement:

TrustedInstaller - Full Control
Administrators, SYSTEM, Users, ALL APPLICATION PACKAGES, ALL RESTRICTED APPLICATION PACKAGES - Read & Execute

The default location is the "%SystemRoot%\System32" folder.