Figure 5-69: Audit framework components

5.6.1.1Audit kernel components

Linux Audit of the SLES kernel includes three kernel-side components relating to the audit functionality. The first component is a generic mechanism for creating audit records and communicating with user space. The communication is achieved via netlink socket interface. Netlink enables the transfer of information between kernel modules and user-space processes. It provides kernel-user space bidirectional communication links. Linux Audit consists of a standard sockets-based interface for user processes and an internal kernel API for kernel modules.

5.6.1.1.1Kernel-userspace interface

On top of netlink, there exists the generic netlink family that provides simplified access for less demanding users. This introduces a control for ID management and name resolution, and possesses a new type of safety interface for netlink messages and attributes handling. This interface also features simplified message constructing, validation capabilities, and documentation.

This first component also receives user-space commands to control the operation of the audit framework and to set the audit filter rules and file system watch points.

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IBM 10 SP1 EAL4 manual Audit kernel components, Kernel-userspace interface