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implementing-file-integrity-monitoring-with-aide

Configure AIDE for file integrity monitoring with baselines, scheduled checks, and change alerting.

954|172|Updated Mar 13, 2026
Search Tags:#baseline#intrusion detection#aide#linux security#Compliance#file integrity monitoring#hids
One-click install
npx skills add https://github.com/xalgord/xalgorix --skill implementing-file-integrity-monitoring-with-aide
Or copy as Structured Prompt for Agent▼
Please help me install this Agent Skill.
Skill: implementing-file-integrity-monitoring-with-aide
Source: https://github.com/xalgord/xalgorix/tree/main/internal/tools/skills/data/endpoint-security/implementing-file-integrity-monitoring-with-aide
Command: npx skills add https://github.com/xalgord/xalgorix --skill implementing-file-integrity-monitoring-with-aide

SYSTEM DOCUMENTATION & REQUIREMENTS

What problem does it solve?

Detecting unauthorized file modifications on Linux hosts is difficult without a trusted baseline, and manual checks miss tampering that attackers use to persist on a system. This Skill guides the deployment of AIDE so file changes are detected, reported, and alerted on automatically.

Core Features & Use Cases

  • AIDE Configuration Generation: Creates aide.conf with hashing rules for critical paths like /etc, /bin, /sbin, /usr/bin, and /boot.
  • Baseline and Integrity Checks: Initializes the baseline database with aide --init and runs aide --check to detect added, removed, or changed files.
  • Automated Monitoring and Reporting: Sets up cron-based scheduled checks and produces JSON change reports with severity classification.
  • Use Case: A security engineer hardening a production Linux server uses this Skill to build an AIDE baseline, schedule daily integrity checks, and route change reports to a SIEM for compliance evidence.

Quick Start

Set up AIDE file integrity monitoring on my Linux server with a baseline database, a cron job for daily checks, and a JSON report of any detected changes.

Frequently Asked Questions about implementing-file-integrity-monitoring-with-aide

High-intent search queries and answers about installing and using this skill.

FAQPage Schema
How do I set up file integrity monitoring with AIDE on Linux?▼

Install AIDE via apt or yum, generate an aide.conf with hashing rules for critical directories like /etc and /usr/bin, then run aide --init to create the baseline database. Schedule aide --check via cron to detect changes against that baseline.

What directories should AIDE monitor for intrusion detection?▼

AIDE should monitor /etc, /bin, /sbin, /usr/bin, and /boot with a checksum ruleset such as sha256+sha512. Ensure these paths are not shadowed by later exclusion rules in aide.conf.

Why does AIDE report no changes after a known file modification?▼

A clean report after a known change means the rules or database path are wrong. Verify the baseline database is the correct copy, confirm the monitored paths use content-hashing rules rather than permission-only rules, and test with a canary change.

Where should the AIDE baseline database be stored?▼

The baseline database should be stored read-only off-host or on immutable media, not at the default /var/lib/aide location on the monitored system. An attacker with root access could otherwise re-initialize the database and erase evidence of tampering.

How do I update the AIDE database after legitimate system changes?▼

Run aide --update after patching, but review the diff report before promoting aide.db.new.gz to the baseline. Blindly promoting the new database can mask malicious changes made in the same window.

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