Better security auditing with Auditd and the Integrity Measurement Architecture
Gotcha

© Photo by Kit Ishimatsu on Unsplash
The Integrity Measurement Architecture adds important details to your audit logs, making it easier to track an intruder's footprints.
Sometimes event logs are not enough, and you need to supply your security systems with something more. For instance, you might want to improve the detection of anomalies or facilitate the hunt for an intruder on your network. Many commercial solutions are available for file integrity monitoring in Linux. However, some budgets don't allow for a large investment. The good news is that Linux systems have a great selection of open source tools for securing systems, and these tools provide a means for maintaining file integrity at low cost. The Integrity Measurement Architecture comes in handy.
Integrity Measurement Architecture (IMA) [1] is a component of the Linux kernel's integrity subsystem (see the "Components of the Integrity Subsystem" box.) IMA is responsible for calculating hashes of files before loading them, and it supports reporting on the hashes. The integrity subsystem also consists of an Extended Verification Module (EVM) that detects tampering with offline security attribute extensions (e.g., SELinux), which are the basis for clearance decisions of the Linux Security Modules (LSM) framework.
What Is IMA?
The main purpose of IMA is to detect if files have been accidentally or intentionally changed, evaluate the measurement of a file against a value stored as an extension attribute, and enforce the integrity of local files. These objectives are complemented by Mandatory Access Control (MAC) protections provided by LSM modules such as SELinux and Smack.
[...]
Buy this article as PDF
(incl. VAT)
Buy Linux Magazine
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.

News
-
Linux Kernel 6.17 Drops bcachefs
After a clash over some late fixes and disagreements between bcachefs's lead developer and Linus Torvalds, bachefs is out.
-
ONLYOFFICE v9 Embraces AI
Like nearly all office suites on the market (except LibreOffice), ONLYOFFICE has decided to go the AI route.
-
Two Local Privilege Escalation Flaws Discovered in Linux
Qualys researchers have discovered two local privilege escalation vulnerabilities that allow hackers to gain root privileges on major Linux distributions.
-
New TUXEDO InfinityBook Pro Powered by AMD Ryzen AI 300
The TUXEDO InfinityBook Pro 14 Gen10 offers serious power that is ready for your business, development, or entertainment needs.
-
Danish Ministry of Digital Affairs Transitions to Linux
Another major organization has decided to kick Microsoft Windows and Office to the curb in favor of Linux.
-
Linux Mint 20 Reaches EOL
With Linux Mint 20 at its end of life, the time has arrived to upgrade to Linux Mint 22.
-
TuxCare Announces Support for AlmaLinux 9.2
Thanks to TuxCare, AlmaLinux 9.2 (and soon version 9.6) now enjoys years of ongoing patching and compliance.
-
Go-Based Botnet Attacking IoT Devices
Using an SSH credential brute-force attack, the Go-based PumaBot is exploiting IoT devices everywhere.
-
Plasma 6.5 Promises Better Memory Optimization
With the stable Plasma 6.4 on the horizon, KDE has a few new tricks up its sleeve for Plasma 6.5.
-
KaOS 2025.05 Officially Qt5 Free
If you're a fan of independent Linux distributions, the team behind KaOS is proud to announce the latest iteration that includes kernel 6.14 and KDE's Plasma 6.3.5.