Security

How to change permissions on Splunk log files?

dshakespeare_sp
Splunk Employee
Splunk Employee

I have a need to monitor splunk logs with other applications, therefore I would like to change all (existing and newly created ones) splunk logs' permission from 600(rw- --- ---) to 604(rw- --- r--).
Is there a good way to accomplish this ?

This needs to work for all files, both new and existing.
I have tried setting "umask" etc, but nothing I have tried seems to work.

Any Ideas?

Tags (3)
1 Solution

dshakespeare_sp
Splunk Employee
Splunk Employee

As this only affects the $SPLUNK_HOME/var/log files the following has worked for some customers

  1. "splunk stop"
  2. chmod -R 604 <$SPLUNK_HOME/var/log/splunk> (change existing file)
  3. setfacl -Rmd:other:r <$SPLUNK_HOME/var/log> (set ACLs on directory so all new files are created 604)
  4. "splunk start"

View solution in original post

jmackie
Engager

If Splunk's official response to this is 'use setfacl' and not "we should be obeying the umask set for the user Splunk runs as", that's pretty awful from a system administrators point of view.

dshakespeare_sp
Splunk Employee
Splunk Employee

As this only affects the $SPLUNK_HOME/var/log files the following has worked for some customers

  1. "splunk stop"
  2. chmod -R 604 <$SPLUNK_HOME/var/log/splunk> (change existing file)
  3. setfacl -Rmd:other:r <$SPLUNK_HOME/var/log> (set ACLs on directory so all new files are created 604)
  4. "splunk start"
Got questions? Get answers!

Join the Splunk Community Slack to learn, troubleshoot, and make connections with fellow Splunk practitioners in real time!

Meet up IRL or virtually!

Join Splunk User Groups to connect and learn in-person by region or remotely by topic or industry.

Get Updates on the Splunk Community!

[Puzzles] Solve, Learn, Repeat: Matching cron expressions

This puzzle (first published here) is based on matching timestamps to cron expressions.All the timestamps ...

Design, Compete, Win: Submit Your Best Splunk Dashboards for a .conf26 Pass

Hello Splunkers,  We’re excited to kick off a Splunk Dashboard contest! We know that dashboards are a primary ...

May 2026 Splunk Expert Sessions: Security & Observability

Level Up Your Operations: May 2026 Splunk Expert Sessions Whether you are refining your security posture or ...