Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9 • Release: 7 Benchmark Date: 05 Jan 2026

CAT II V-258080 RHEL-09-431020

RHEL 9 must configure SELinux context type to allow the use of a nondefault faillock tally directory.

Documentable No
Rule ID SV-258080r1045162_rule
CCI References
CCI-000044

Not having the correct SELinux context on the faillock directory may lead to unauthorized access to the directory.

Check Procedure

Verify the location of the nondefault tally directory for the pam_faillock module with the following command:

Note: If the system does not have SELinux enabled and enforcing a targeted policy, or if the pam_faillock module is not configured for use, this requirement is Not Applicable.

$ sudo grep -w dir /etc/security/faillock.conf

dir = /var/log/faillock

Check the security context type of the nondefault tally directory with the following command:

$ ls -Zd /var/log/faillock

unconfined_u:object_r:faillog_t:s0 /var/log/faillock

If the security context type of the nondefault tally directory is not "faillog_t", this is a finding.

Fix Action

Configure RHEL 9 to allow the use of a nondefault faillock tally directory while SELinux enforces a targeted policy. 

First enable the feature using the following command:
 
$ sudo authselect enable-feature with-faillock 
 
Create a nondefault faillock tally directory (if it does not already exist) with the following example:

$ sudo mkdir /var/log/faillock

Then add/modify the "/etc/security/faillock.conf" file to match the following line:
 
dir = /var/log/faillock

Update the /etc/selinux/targeted/contexts/files/file_contexts.local with "faillog_t" context type for the nondefault faillock tally directory with the following command:

$ sudo semanage fcontext -a -t faillog_t "/var/log/faillock(/.*)?"

Next, update the context type of the nondefault faillock directory/subdirectories and files with the following command:

$ sudo restorecon -R -v /var/log/faillock