Attempt to Clear Logs via Journalctl
This rule monitors for attempts to clear logs using the "journalctl" command on Linux systems. Adversaries may use this technique to cover their tracks by deleting or truncating log files, making it harder for…
Description
This rule monitors for attempts to clear logs using the "journalctl" command on Linux systems. Adversaries may use this technique to cover their tracks by deleting or truncating log files, making it harder for defenders to investigate their activities. The rule looks for the execution of "journalctl" with arguments that indicate log clearing actions, such as "--vacuum-time", "--vacuum-size", or "--vacuum-files".
Detection logic
Its licence does not clear it for publishing here
Sunturai publishes a detection's own text where the licence it arrived under has been reviewed and permits it, and Elastic License 2.0 has not. The query as its source wrote it, its canonical form and the hash that pins this revision are in the workspace record.
Detection requirements
- Platform
- ContainersESXiIaaSIdentity ProviderLinuxmacOSNetwork DevicesOffice SuiteWindows
The rule states no platform. This is derived from the 2 ATT&CK techniques it maps to.
- Log source category
- event_index
MITRE ATT&CK mappings
0 exclusive techniques.This is coverage no other published rule has; it is not this rule's total technique count.
No references are available for this detection.
From the source
- At source
- Open at source
- Upstream identifier
- 09073bf4-a8ea-4bce-9fd5-2bb56b4d31f4
- Tagged by the source as
- Data Source: Auditd ManagerData Source: CrowdstrikeData Source: Elastic DefendData Source: Elastic EndgameData Source: SentinelOneDomain: EndpointNoise: MediumOS: LinuxPerformance: NormalPlatform: LinuxResources: Investigation GuideRule Type: Event Correlation (EQL)Tactic: Defense EvasionUse Case: Threat Detection
Licence
- Published under
- Elastic License 2.0Read the licence
- Attribution
- Required
Authorship
- Written by
- Published
- Sep 20, 2026
- Version
- 3