Did these log entries record an intrusion to the server?
Here are log entries I found in auth.log. What does + ??? mean? And was there an unauthorized access?
Feb 11 07:48:32 tts-server su[31265]: Successful su for www-data by root
Feb 11 07:48:32 tts-server su[31265]: + ??? root:www-data
Feb 11 07:48:32 tts-server su[31265]: pam_unix(su:session): session opened for user www-data by (uid=0)
Feb 11 07:48:32 tts-server su[31265]: pam_unix(su:session): session closed for user www-data
Feb 11 07:48:32 tts-server su[31275]: Successful su for www-data by root
Feb 11 07:48:32 tts-server su[31275]: + ??? root:www-data
Feb 11 07:48:32 tts-server su[31275]: pam_unix(su:session): session opened for user www-data by (uid=0)
Feb 11 07:48:32 tts-server su[31275]: pam_unix(su:session): session closed for user www-data
Feb 12 09:46:27 tts-server su[11208]: Successful su for www-data by root
Feb 12 09:46:27 tts-server su[11208]: + ??? root:www-data
Feb 12 09:46:27 tts-server su[11208]: pam_unix(su:session): session opened for user www-data by (uid=0)
Feb 12 09:46:27 tts-server su[11208]: pam_unix(su:session): session closed for user www-data
Feb 12 09:46:27 tts-server su[11222]: Successful su for www-data by root
Feb 12 09:46:27 tts-server su[11222]: + ??? root:www-data
Feb 12 09:46:27 tts-server su[11222]: pam_unix(su:session): session opened for user www-data by (uid=0)
Feb 12 09:46:27 tts-server su[11222]: pam_unix(su:session): session closed for user www-data
Feb 13 12:25:41 tts-server su[22032]: Successful su for www-data by root
Feb 13 12:25:41 tts-server su[22032]: + ??? root:www-data
Feb 13 12:25:41 tts-server su[22032]: pam_unix(su:session): session opened for user www-data by (uid=0)
Feb 13 12:25:41 tts-server su[22032]: pam_unix(su:session): session closed for user www-data
Feb 13 12:25:41 tts-server su[22043]: Successful su for www-data by root
Feb 13 12:25:41 tts-server su[22043]: + ??? root:www-data
Feb 13 12:25:41 tts-server su[22043]: pam_unix(su:session): session opened for user www-data by (uid=0)
Feb 13 12:25:41 tts-server su[22043]: pam_unix(su:session): session closed for user www-data
Solution 1:
Those are probably from a cron job. From Securing Debian Manual. Chapter 11 - Frequently asked Questions (FAQ)
11.2.3 I found users doing 'su' in my logs: Am I compromised?
You might find lines in your logs like:
Apr 1 09:25:01 server su[30315]: + ??? root-nobody Apr 1 09:25:01 server PAM_unix[30315]: (su) session opened for user nobody by (uid=0)Don't worry too much, check out if this is due to a job running through the cron (usually /etc/cron.daily/find or logrotate):
$ grep 25 /etc/crontab 25 6 * * * root test -e /usr/sbin/anacron || run-parts --report /etc/cron.daily $ grep nobody /etc/cron.daily/* find:cd / && updatedb --localuser=nobody 2>/dev/null