Linux Admin Compliance & Remediation

Problem Overview

Unauthorized admin accounts on Linux systems can lead to security breaches, compliance violations, and unauthorized access to sensitive data. Manually tracking and removing unauthorized sudo users is time-consuming and prone to oversight. This automation ensures that only approved users maintain admin privileges.

Description

This automation scans local Linux systems for admin users, comparing them against an approved list stored in custom fields (configurable at the global, group, or device level). If any unauthorized admins are detected, they are flagged, and an approval process is initiated. Upon approval, unauthorized accounts are disabled. The system then rechecks the list of admin users to verify compliance.

Preview

Use Cases

• Enforce IT security policies by restricting sudo access to approved users.
• Automate compliance checks for industry security standards (e.g., CIS benchmarks, ISO 27001).
• Mitigate insider threats by preventing unauthorized privilege escalation.
• Deploy alongside an “Admin Users Monitor” for real-time security enforcement.
• Standardize admin access control across all managed Linux servers and endpoints.

Recommendations

• Pair with the Admin Users Monitor to detect and automatically trigger remediation of unauthorized admin accounts.
• Test in a non-production environment before rolling out across multiple machines to avoid accidental lockouts.
• Define and maintain an accurate authorized admin list at the global, group, or device level.
• Run on a schedule for routine security audits or execute manually for on-demand checks.
• Review logs regularly to monitor admin access changes and ensure compliance.

FAQ

• How does this automation determine authorized vs. unauthorized admins?
  ‍It checks local sudo/admin users against an authorized list stored in custom fields at different levels (global, group, or device).

• What happens when an unauthorized admin is found?
  ‍The automation pauses for approval before disabling unauthorized accounts to prevent accidental removal.

• Can this be set to automatically remove unauthorized admins without approval?
  ‍Yes, you can configure it to bypass approval for immediate enforcement.

• How often should this automation run?
  ‍It depends on your security policy. Running it daily or weekly helps maintain strict compliance.

• Will this affect necessary system accounts or service users?
  ‍No, as long as the authorized admin list includes required accounts, they will not be removed.