Audit Classes

System-wide defaults for Solaris auditing are preselected by specifying one or more classes of events. The classes are preselected for each system in the system's audit_control file. Anyone who uses the system is audited for these classes of events. The file is described in audit_control File.

You can configure audit classes and make new audit classes. Audit class names can be up to 8 characters in length. The class description is limited to 72 characters. Numeric and non-alphanumeric characters are allowed.

You can modify what is audited for individual users by adding audit classes to a user's entry in the audit_user database. The audit classes are also used as arguments to the auditconfig command. For details, see the auditconfig(1M) man page.

Definitions of Audit Classes

The following table shows each predefined audit class, the descriptive name for each audit class, and a short description.

Table 31-1 Predefined Audit Classes

Audit Class	Descriptive Name	Description
`all`	`all`	All classes (meta-class)
`no`	`no_class`	Null value for turning off event preselection
`na`	`non_attrib`	Nonattributable events
`fr`	`file_read`	Read of data, open for reading
`fw`	`file_write`	Write of data, open for writing
`fa`	`file_attr_acc`	Access of object attributes: `stat`, `pathconf`
`fm`	`file_attr_mod`	Change of object attributes: `chown`, `flock`
`fc`	`file_creation`	Creation of object
`fd`	`file_deletion`	Deletion of object
`cl`	`file_close`	`close` system call
`ap`	`application`	Application-defined event
`ad`	`administrative`	Administrative actions (old administrative meta-class)
`am`	`administrative`	Administrative actions (meta-class)
`ss`	`system state`	Change system state
`as`	`system-wide administration`	System-wide administration
`ua`	`user administration`	User administration
`aa`	`audit administration`	Audit utilization
`ps`	`process start`	Process start and process stop
`pm`	`process modify`	Process modify
`pc`	`process`	Process (meta-class)
`ex`	`exec`	Program execution
`io`	`ioctl`	`ioctl()` system call
`ip`	`ipc`	System V IPC operations
`lo`	`login_logout`	Login and logout events
`nt`	`network`	Network events: `bind`, `connect`, `accept`
`ot`	`other`	Miscellaneous, such as device allocation and `memcntl()`

You can define new classes by modifying the /etc/security/audit_class file. You can also rename existing classes. For more information, see the audit_class(4) man page.

Audit Class Syntax

Events can be audited for success, events can be audited for failure, and events can be audited for both. Without a prefix, a class of events is audited for success and for failure. With a plus (+) prefix, a class of events is audited for success only. With a minus (-) prefix, a class of events is audited for failure only. The following table shows some possible representations of audit classes.

Table 31-2 Plus and Minus Prefixes to Audit Classes

`[`prefix`]`class	Explanation
`lo`	Audit all successful attempts to log in and log out, and all failed attempts to log in. A user cannot fail an attempt to log out.
`+lo`	Audit all successful attempts to log in and log out.
`-all`	Audit all failed events.
`+all`	Audit all successful events.

Caution - The all class can generate large amounts of data and quickly fill audit file systems. Use the all class only if you have extraordinary reasons to audit all activities.

Audit classes that were previously selected can be further modified by a caret prefix, ^. The following table shows how the caret prefix modifies a preselected audit class.

Table 31-3 Caret Prefix That Modifies Already-Specified Audit Classes

`^`[prefix]class	Explanation
`-all,^-fc`	Audit all failed events, except do not audit failed attempts to create file objects
`am,^+aa`	Audit all administrative events for success and for failure, except do not audit successful attempts to administer auditing
`am,^ua`	Audit all administrative events for success and for failure, except do not audit user administration events

The audit classes and their prefixes can be used in the following files and commands:

In the flags line in the audit_control file
In the plugin ...p_flags= line in the audit_control file
In the user's entry in the audit_user database
As arguments to auditconfig command options

See audit_control File for an example of using the prefixes in the audit_control file.