diff --git a/NEWS b/NEWS
index d49578f80611225a29b2c01cadb744b685b16b95..d423cb2add7f9ed158ff1d8abeff793f316080de 100644
--- a/NEWS
+++ b/NEWS
@@ -1,3 +1,10 @@
+release/001.010 (2015-08-03)
+
+    Disable 'simplify' mode on RHEL/CentOS5, regardless of
+    setting override, due to unmet dependency of
+    perl-POSIX-strptime (would have to edit the 3rd party
+    auditd simplify perl code to make compatible) (jlent)
+
 release/001.009 (2015-07-31)
 
     Remove ANOTHER duplicate line from audit.rules (adamhl)
diff --git a/manifests/auditd.pp b/manifests/auditd.pp
index 718e31bd241f7e88f3369ef900fbcd9b06a15d87..f9014485407c16b5e95e80e60f4e068cfda4cce0 100644
--- a/manifests/auditd.pp
+++ b/manifests/auditd.pp
@@ -79,8 +79,14 @@ define audit::auditd (
       }
 
       # Test the simplification of auditd logging
-      if $simplify == 'NONE' {
-        package { 'stanford-auditd-tools': ensure => absent }
+      # The 'simplify' plugin has a dependency of perl-POSIX-strptime that is
+      # not met on RHEL/CentOS5; quietly disabling 'simplify' in that case
+      if ($simplify == 'NONE' or ($::osfamily == 'RedHat' and $::lsbmajdistrelease == '5')) {
+        if ($::osfamily == 'RedHat' and $::lsbmajdistrelease == '5') {
+          # do nothing - package is not available in repos
+        } else {
+          package { 'stanford-auditd-tools': ensure => absent }
+        }
         file {
           '/etc/audisp/plugins.d/simplify.conf':  ensure => absent;
           '/etc/newsyslog.daily/audisp-simplify': ensure => absent;
@@ -99,7 +105,7 @@ define audit::auditd (
             source  => "$afile/etc/audisp/plugins.d/simplify.conf",
             require => Package['auditd'];
           '/etc/newsyslog.daily/audisp-simplify':
-            mode    => 644,
+            mode    => '0644',
             source  => "$afile/etc/newsyslog.daily/audisp-simplify",
             require => Package['newsyslog'];
         }