Re: [loganalysis] Logging standards and such

From: todd glassey (todd.glasseyat_private)
Date: Wed Aug 15 2001 - 17:07:16 PDT

  • Next message: Jeff King: "RE: [loganalysis] Re: Central syslog server best practices?"

    XML for Secure System LogsJust putting Syslog Data into XML is not enough. What Syslog data needs to be constrained such that the Syslog daemon can act as an evidentiary agent or reception agent and that means that it will do the testimony not the systems admin that operates it. With that said there are many holes that have to be filled to deal with the legal testimony generator requirements.
    
    Todd
    
      ----- Original Message ----- 
      From: Chris Calabrese 
      To: edward.j.sargissonat_private ; loganalysisat_private 
      Sent: Wednesday, August 15, 2001 11:49 AM
      Subject: RE: [loganalysis] Logging standards and such
    
    
      > However, I have gotten some interest in it from time > to time, and I offer it here as a good starting > point... Oh bother, it looks like my attachments didn't make it through some step of the way. Tina, are you stripping attachments? Hmm, here's HTML. If you want this in ASCII, send me an e-mail... (it's easier to do the HTML because the Yahoo mail client reformats the text bits if they're not attachments) --------------------------  TOC 
           
                  Network Working Group C. J. Calabrese 
                  Internet-Draft The SANS Institute 
                  Expires: July 16, 2001 January 15, 2001 
           
    
    
      XML for Secure System Logs
      draft-calabrese-xml-log-00
      Status of this Memo
      This document is an Internet-Draft and is in full conformance with all provisions of Section 10 of RFC2026.
    
      Internet-Drafts are working documents of the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF), its areas, and its working groups. Note that other groups may also distribute working documents as Internet-Drafts.
    
      Internet-Drafts are draft documents valid for a maximum of six months and may be updated, replaced, or obsoleted by other documents at any time. It is inappropriate to use Internet-Drafts as reference material or to cite them other than as "work in progress."
    
      The list of current Internet-Drafts can be accessed at http://www.ietf.org/ietf/1id-abstracts.txt.
    
      The list of Internet-Draft Shadow Directories can be accessed at http://www.ietf.org/shadow.html.
    
      This Internet-Draft will expire on July 16, 2001.
    
      Copyright Notice
      Copyright (C) The Internet Society (2001). All Rights Reserved.
    
      Abstract
      This memo presents an Extensible Markup Language (XML)[16] encoding that applications may use to express logging information in a structured manner. Thus making these logs easier for computer programs to parse the the free-form data traditionally associated with Syslog[3]-based logs. 
    
    
    
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      Table of Contents
        1.  Introduction
        2.  Schema Overview
        3.  Examples
        3.1  Nested `log:EVNT' Entries
        4.  Deviation from Pure XML
        5.  Implementation Considerations
        5.1  Event Filtering
        5.2  Event Viewing/Reporting
        5.3  Logging API's
        5.4  Backward Compatibility
        5.4.1  Syslog
        5.4.2  NT Event Logger
        5.5  Network Communications
        6.  Security Considerations
        6.1  Correctness and Completeness of Identifying Information
        6.2  Confidentiality, Integrity, and Availability of Log Messages
        §  References
        §  Author's Address
        A.  XML DTD for the `log:EVNT' Element
        B.  XML DTD for Data Types Used in the `log:EVNT' Element
        §  Full Copyright Statement
    
    
    
    
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      1. Introduction
      One of the most important aspects of system, application, and security administration is event logging. Such logging involves capturing information about important events, possibly transmitting that information to a centralized logging facility, timestamping/filtering/manipulating the information, recording the information to persistent storage, and finally filtering, retrieval and analysis by events by an off-line program or person. 
    
      This memo presents an Extensible Markup Language (XML)[16] encoding that applications may use to express logging information in a structured manner. Thus making these logs easier for computer programs to parse the the free-form data traditionally associated with Syslog[3]-based logs. 
    
      This scheme is, for the most part, an "XML-ization" of the Abela and Debeaupuis' Universal Format for Logger Messages (ULM)[11]. A new version of their ULM tool has been written by Nicolas Jombart to deal with an earlier version of this XML-ized format[12]. 
    
      The key words "MUST", "MUST NOT", "REQUIRED", "SHALL", "SHALL NOT", "SHOULD", "SHOULD NOT", "RECOMMENDED", "MAY", and "OPTIONAL" in this document are to be interpreted as described in RFC 2119[1]. 
    
    
    
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      2. Schema Overview
      The basic idea is very straight forward. Each log entry is represented by a 'log:EVNT' element. Inside this element are the following attributes: 
    
          log:HOST 
          The host on which the log entry was originally generated. 
          log:DATE 
          The date/time at which the log was generated in 'ISO.8601:1998_Date_Format'. [2] 
          log:SEV 
          Severity of the event using the standard Syslog[3] as enumerated in 'log:SEV_Format' (`LOG_DEBUG', `LOG_INFO', `LOG_NOTICE', `LOG_WARNING', `LOG_ERR', `LOG_CRIT', `LOG_ALERT', `LOG_EMERG',). 
          When operating in Windows NT environments, the native NT Event Types (`Information', `Warning', `Error', `Success Audit', and `Falure Audit') should map into `LOG_INFO', `LOG_WARNING',, `LOG_ERR', `LOG_INFO', and `LOG_INFO' respecitively. 
    
          Similarly, the standard SNMP Trap Severities (`Normal', `Warning', `Minor', `Major', and `Critical') should map into `LOG_INFO', `LOG_WARNING', `LOG_ERR', `LOG_ERR', and `LOG_CRIT' respecitively. 
    
          NOTE: Need references for NT and SNMP 
          log:PROC.NAME 
          The name of the program generating the event. Can either be a simple name (`Sendmail'), or a hierarchy identifying the program and it's Facility (`Mail/MTA/Sendmail', `Audit/Tripwire', `Kernel/FS/Buffer_Cache'). NOTE: Standard hiercharies need to be specified. 
          log:PROC.ID 
          An identification of the instance of the program/process that generated the event. On a Unix system, this would by the process identification (`PID') plus the thread identifier for multi-threaded processes (`2207.3'). 
          log:PROC.PRIV 
          A list of any security ID's/groups/labels associated with the process generating the log entry (`USR-chris, UID-748, GRP-adm, GRP-sys, GRP-users, EUID-root, EGID-kmem, DAC_READ, SYSTEM_HIGH') NOTE: Need to specify standard nonclemature for Unix, NT, and IEEE 1003.1e/2c priveleges. Also, do we really want to do it this way, or would it be better done as different attribute types, or even nested elements or something? 
          log:PROC.MAIL 
          An e-mail address associated with the usr/login/account the process is running as. 
          log:PROC.TTY 
          The TTY or other description of the user's physical connection to the host generating the event. 
          log:EVENT.TYPE 
          Gives a further taxonomy of the type of event that occurred. Allowed values given under 'log:Event_Type_Enumeration'. 
          XML:LANG 
          The language used for any textual messages in the standard XML `LangCode' format[16]. 
          log:DUR 
          Duration of the event being logged in 'Seconds.Decimel' format. 
          log:SRC.ADDR (log:DST.ADDR) 
          The network source (destination) address of any network traffic represented by this event in 'log:Address_Format'. 
          log:SRC.PROT (log:DST.PROT) 
          The network protocols/ports used by the source (destination) of network traffic in 'log:Protocol_Format' (`IP/TCP/25/ESMTP', `IP/ICMP/Source_Quench'). 
          log:SRC.FQDN (log:DST.FQDN) 
          The fully qualified domain name for the traffic source (destination). 
          log:SRC.NAME (log:DST.NAME) 
          Some other unique identifier for the traffic source (destination). 
          log:SRC.USR (log:DST.USR) 
          A user/login/account associated with the traffic source (destination). 
          log:SRC.MAIL (log.DST.MAIL) 
          An e-mail address associated with the traffic source (destination). 
          log:REL.IN.ADDR, log:REL.IN.PROT, log:REL.IN.FQDN, log:REL.IN.NAME, log:REL.IN.USR, log:REL.IN.MAIL, log:REL.OUT.ADDR, log:REL.OUT.PROT, log:REL.OUT.FQDN, log:REL.OUT.NAME, log:REL.OUT.USR, log:REL.OUT.MAIL 
          Similar to the `log:SRC.' and `log:DST.' attributes, but representing inbound and outbound traffic through a relay or proxy. 
          log:VOL, VOL.SENT, VOL.RCVD 
          Total data volume in octets, volume sent, and volume received. 
          log:CNT, log:CNT.SENT, log:CNT.RCVD 
          Total data volume in records, records sent, and records received. 
          log:PROG.FILE, log:PROG.LINE 
          The name of the program source file and line number within the source file. Typically used for debugging and assert messages. 
          log:DOC 
          Name of an accessed document/file, such as an FTP file, a newsgroup, or a URL. 
          log:CMD 
          Issued command that generated the event. For example: 
    <log:EVNT ... log:CMD="/bin/rm -rf /">
    
          log:MSG 
          Free form message text. 
    
    
    
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      3. Examples
      3.1 Nested `log:EVNT' Entries
      At first blush, it's not obvious why we need a MSG attribute when we could use something like: 
    
    <log:EVNT ...>this is the text</log:EVNT>
    
      The reason is to allow `log:EVNT' elements to nest. One possible interpretation of nested log entries is to be able to represent complex relationships in the data. Instead, here we use nesting to collapse redundant data. For example, the following are considered equivalent: 
    <log:EVNT log:SEV=80 log:PROC.NAME="Audit/Tripwire"
     log:PROC.ID=1234 log:MSG="unexpected file"
     log:DOC="/a/b/c"/>
    <log:EVNT log:SEV=80 log:PROC.NAME="Audit/Tripwire"
     log:PROC.ID=1234 log:MSG="unexpected file"
     log:DOC="/a/b/d"/>
    <log:EVNT log:SEV=80 log:PROC.NAME="Audit/Tripwire"
     log:PROC.ID=1234 log:MSG="unexpected file"
     log:DOC="/a/b/e"/>
    
    <log:EVNT log:SEV=80 log:PROC.NAME="Audit/Tripwire"
    log:PROC.ID=1234 log:MSG="unexpected file">
    <log:EVNT log:DOC="/a/b/c"/>
    <log:EVNT log:DOC="/a/b/d"/>
    <log:EVNT log:DOC="/a/b/e"/>
    </log:EVNT>
    
      As a result, only inner-most `log:EVNT' elements are log entries. Outer `log:EVNT' elements set attributes common to the contained entries. 
    
    
    
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      4. Deviation from Pure XML
      Although XML is a good fit for the structure needed to describe system logs, it is not a perfect fit. In particular: 
    
        1.. In the interest of compactness, logs will be considered complete even if they do not contain the standard XML prolog containing the XML version, element declarations, etc. 
        2.. Also in the interest of compactness, log message streams not beginning with `<' will assume to be bracketed by `<log:' and `>'. This way, the existing syslog behavior of sending a single log entry inside a single UDP packet may be preserved. 
        3.. Some might argue that having the free-form messages as `log:MSG' attribute values is somewhat messy from an XML standpoint and that "proper" XML would be to unravel the nesting and put the message text in as the "payload" of the `log:EVNT' elements. 
      Implementations may contain a tool to generate 100% XML compliant "documents" from log files so that the logs may be processed by standard XML tools. 
    
    
    
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      5. Implementation Considerations
      5.1 Event Filtering
      NOTE: Need info about filtering... 
    
      5.2 Event Viewing/Reporting
      NOTE: Need info viewing/reporting... 
    
      5.3 Logging API's
      NOTE: Need info on API's, especially making sure that the TCB generates whatever information it can. Refer to sec section. 
    
      5.4 Backward Compatibility
      5.4.1 Syslog
      NOTE: Need info on this..., especially issue of including level/facility info in both XML and native syslog levels. 
    
      5.4.2 NT Event Logger
      NOTE: Need info on this... 
    
      5.5 Network Communications
      NOTE: Need info on this..., including references to Syslog WG work. 
    
    
    
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      6. Security Considerations
      6.1 Correctness and Completeness of Identifying Information
      NOTE: TCB should/must generate log:HOST log:DATE log:SEV log:PROC.NAME log:PROC.ID log:PROC.PRIV 
    
      6.2 Confidentiality, Integrity, and Availability of Log Messages
      The confidentiality, integrity, and availability of log messages or logging mechanisms is beyond the scope of this memo. However, these issues are addressed in the following places. 
      NOTE: need references here... 
    
    
    
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      References
            [1] Bradner, S., "Key words for use in RFCs to Indicate Requirement Levels", RFC 2119, BCP 14, March 1997. 
            [2] International Standards Organization, "Data elements and interchange formats - Information interchange - Representation of dates and times", International Standard ISO 8601:1988, available from http://www.iso.ch/markete/8601.pdf, 1988. 
            [3] University of California Computer Systems Research Group, "Unix Programmer's Manual, 4.3 Berkeley Software Distribution, Virtual VAX-11 Version", April 1986. 
            [4] U.S. Department of Defense, Assistant Secretary of Defense for Command, Control, Communications, and Intelligence, "Department of Defense Trusted Computer System Evaluation Criteria", DoD 5200.28-STD, available from http://www.radium.ncsc.mil/tpep/library/rainbow/5200.28-STD.html, December 1985. 
            [5] International Standards Organization, "Common Criteria for Information Technology Security Evaluation Version 2.1", International Standard ISO/IEC 15408:1999, available from http://www.radium.ncsc.mil/tpep/library/ccitse/ccitse.html, August 1999. 
            [6] U.S. National Security Agency, Information Systems Security Organization, "Labeled Security Protection Profile", available from http://www.radium.ncsc.mil/tpep/library/protection_profiles/index.html, October 1999. 
            [7] U.S. National Security Agency, Information Systems Security Organization, "Controlled Access Protection Profile", available from http://www.radium.ncsc.mil/tpep/library/protection_profiles/index.html, October 1999. 
            [8] Lonvick, C.M., "syslog Protocol", draft-ietf-syslog-syslog-03 (work in progress), January 2001. 
            [9] Schneier, B. and J. Kelsey, "Cryptographic Support for Secure Logs on Untrusted Machines", The Seventh USENIX Security Symposium Proceedings, USENIX Press pp. 53-62, available from http://www.counterpane.com/secure-logs.html, January 1998. 
            [10] Schneier, B. and J. Kelsey, "Minimizing Bandwidth for Remote Access to Cryptographically Protected Audit Logs", Second International Workshop on the Recent Advances inIntrusion Detection (RAID '99), available from http://www.counterpane.com/auditlog2.html, September 1999. 
            [11] Abela, J. and T. Debeaupuis, "Universal Format for Logger Messages", May 1999. 
            [12] Jombart, N., "Private correspondence", May 2000. 
            [13] New, D. and M.T. Rose, "Reliable Delivery for Syslog", draft-ietf-syslog-reliable-02 (work in progress), November 2000. 
            [14] Kelsey, J., "Syslog-Auth Protocol", draft-ietf-syslog-auth-00 (work in progress), December 2000. 
            [15] Kelsey, J., "Syslog-Sign Protocol", draft-ietf-syslog-sign-00 (work in progress), December 2000. 
            [16] World Wide Web Consortium, "Extensible Markup Language (XML) 1.0.", available from http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-xml, February 1998. 
    
    
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      Author's Address
              Christopher J. Calabrese 
              The SANS Institute 
              26 Wellesley Road 
              Upper Montclair, NJ 07043 
              US 
            Phone:  +1 973 233 1464 
            EMail:  chris_calabreseat_private 
    
    
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      Appendix A. XML DTD for the `log:EVNT' Element
    
    <!-- Note that attributes are marked REQUIRED
      -- here if it is implied by draft-calabrese-requir-loggprot-01.
      -- This assumes this information is not being provided by
      -- another source.
      -->
    <!ELEMENT log:ENTRY (log:ENTRY)*>
    <!ATTLIST log:ENTRY
        log:HOST CDATA #REQUIRED
        log:DATE ISO.8601:1998_Date_Format #REQUIRED
        log:SEV log:Severity_Type #REQUIRED
        log:PROC.NAME CDATA #REQUIRED
        log:PROC.ID CDATA #REQUIRED
        log:PROC.PRIV CDATA #REQUIRED
        log:PROC.MAIL CDATA #IMPLIED
        log:PROC.TTY CDATA #IMPLIED
        log:EVENT.TYPE log:Event_Type_Enumeration #IMPLIED
        log:XML:LANG LangCode "EN"
        log:DUR Seconds.Decimal #IMPLIED
        log:SRC.ADDR log:Address_Format #IMPLIED
        log:SRC.PROT log:Protocol_Format #IMPLIED
        log:SRC.FQDN CDATA #IMPLIED
        log:SRC.NAME CDATA #IMPLIED
        log:SRC.USR CDATA #IMPLIED
        log:SRC.MAIL CDATA #IMPLIED
        log:DST.ADDR log:Address_Format #IMPLIED
        log:DST.PROT log:Protocol_Format #IMPLIED
        log:DST.FQDN CDATA #IMPLIED
        log:DST.NAME CDATA #IMPLIED
        log:DST.USR CDATA #IMPLIED
        log:DST.MAIL CDATA #IMPLIED
        log:REL.IN.ADDR log:Address_Format #IMPLIED
        log:REL.IN.PROT log:Protocol_Format #IMPLIED
        log:REL.IN.FQDN CDATA #IMPLIED
        log:REL.IN.NAME CDATA #IMPLIED
        log:REL.IN.USR CDATA #IMPLIED
        log:REL.IN.MAIL CDATA #IMPLIED
        log:REL.OUT.ADDR log:Address_Format #IMPLIED
        log:REL.OUT.PROT log:Protocol_Format #IMPLIED
        log:REL.OUT.FQDN CDATA #IMPLIED
        log:REL.OUT.NAME CDATA #IMPLIED
        log:REL.OUT.USR CDATA #IMPLIED
        log:REL.OUT.MAIL CDATA #IMPLIED
        log:VOL Integer #IMPLIED
        log:VOL.SENT Integer #IMPLIED
        log:VOL.RCVD Integer #IMPLIED
        log:CNT Integer #IMPLIED
        log:CNT.SENT Integer #IMPLIED
        log:CNT.RCVD Integer #IMPLIED
        log:PROG.FILE CDATA #IMPLIED
        log:PROG.LINE Integer #IMPLIED
        log:DOC CDATA #IMPLIED
        log:CMD CDATA #IMPLIED
        log:MSG CDATA #IMPLIED
        >
    
    
    
    
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      Appendix B. XML DTD for Data Types Used in the `log:EVNT' Element
    
    <!NOTATION log:Severity_Type ('0'|'1'|...|'99')>
    <!NOTATION ISO.8601:1998_Date_Format
        (YYYY '-' MM '-' DD 'T' hh ':'
         mm [':' ss ['.' f+]]('+' | '-') zzzz)>
    <!-- NOTE: Need reference and further
         explanation of date format -->
    <!NOTATION Seconds.Decimal
        (ss ['.' f+])
    <!NOTATION log:Event_Type_Enumeration 
        ('AUTH.FAIL'|'AUTH.SUCCESS'|'PROG.FAIL'|'PROG.START'|...)>
    <!-- NOTE: Need more complete enumeration. -->
    <!NOTATION log:Address_Format
        (IPv4_Address|IPv6_Address|IPX_Address|...)>
    <!-- NOTE: Do we need more a complete
         enumeration? of address types? -->
    <!NOTATION IPv4_Address CDATA >
    <!-- NOTE: Need proper definition
         and reference for IPv4 addresses -->
    <!NOTATION IPv6_Address CDATA>
    <!-- NOTE: Need proper definition
         and reference for IPv6 addresses -->
    <!NOTATION IPX_Address CDATA>
    <!-- NOTE: Need proper definition
         and reference for IPX addresses -->
    <!NOTATION log:Protocol_Format
        ( ('IPv4/' ('UDP'|'TCP') '/' IPv4_Port_Number ['/' CDATA])
        | ('IPv4/ICMP/' IPv4_ICMP_Message_Type)
        | ( ('IPv6/' ('UDP'|'TCP') '/' IPv6_Port_Number ['/' CDATA])
        | ('IPv6/ICMP/' IP64_ICMP_Message_Type)
        | ('IPX' ['/SPX/'] IPX_Port_Number ['/' CDATA])
        )
        <!-- NOTE: Need further definitions of
         referenced types... -->
    
    
    
    
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      Full Copyright Statement
      Copyright (C) The Internet Society (2001). All Rights Reserved.
    
      This document and translations of it may be copied and furnished to others, and derivative works that comment on or otherwise explain it or assist in its implementation may be prepared, copied, published and distributed, in whole or in part, without restriction of any kind, provided that the above copyright notice and this paragraph are included on all such copies and derivative works. However, this document itself may not be modified in any way, such as by removing the copyright notice or references to the Internet Society or other Internet organizations, except as needed for the purpose of developing Internet standards in which case the procedures for copyrights defined in the Internet Standards process must be followed, or as required to translate it into languages other than English.
    
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