Restricting Access to Kernel Ring Buffer Messages
The kernel uses a ring buffer to surface messages for troubleshooting purposes, and these
messages can be viewed by running the dmesg
command.
Threat actors can use those messages to find exploits in the system, so it's considered
good security practice to ensure that only users with root permissions can run the
dmesg
command.
On Oracle Linux 10 systems, access is restricted by default regardless of whether the system is running the Red Hat Compatible Kernel (RHCK) or the Unbreakable Enterprise Kernel (UEK) 8.