# Configure Time Synchronization

Necessity: Accurate time synchronization is fundamental to network security and operational integrity. It is critical for log correlation, enabling administrators to create an accurate timeline of events during a security incident. Many authentication protocols, such as Kerberos, rely on synchronized time to prevent replay attacks. Furthermore, cryptographic functions, including TLS/SSL certificate validation, depend on accurate time, and discrepancies can lead to service failures or security vulnerabilities.

Auditing and Remediation: The audit script verifies the system's time synchronization capability by checking for the presence of the 'chrony' package and ensuring its corresponding service, 'chronyd', is enabled to run at boot. The remediation script ensures this state by installing the 'chrony' package if it is missing and then enabling and starting the 'chronyd' service, thereby configuring the system to maintain accurate time.

Recommended State Rationale: Basic, Moderate, and Strict levels all recommend the state 'Installed and Enabled' because time synchronization is a foundational, binary requirement. A system's time is either managed and accurate, or it is not. There is no middle ground for a partially-secured state. Industry benchmarks like CIS and DISA STIGs mandate that a time synchronization daemon must be active on all networked systems, making its installation and enablement a universal best practice for any security posture.

## Recommended State Configuration

| Security Level | Value |
|----------------|-------|
| **Basic** | `['Installed and Enabled']` |
| **Moderate** | `['Installed and Enabled']` |
| **Strict** | `['Installed and Enabled']` |
| **Type** | `ENUM` |

## Audit Script Working

Bash script that checks if the 'chrony' package is installed and if the 'chronyd' service is enabled. The script should output a single string representing the current state, such as 'Installed and Enabled', 'Installed but Disabled', or 'Not Installed'. Ensure no other text is returned.

## Remediation Script Working

Bash script that accepts one argument: the desired state. The only supported state for remediation is 'Install and Enable'. The script should use the package manager (yum/dnf) to install the 'chrony' package if it's not present and use 'systemctl' to enable and start the 'chronyd' service. The script must return 'true' on success and 'false' on failure.

