Attempt to Disable Syslog Serviceedit

Identifies attempts to disable the syslog service, a technique adversaries can use to disrupt event logging and evade detection by security controls.

Rule type: query

Rule indices:

  • auditbeat-*
  • logs-endpoint.events.*

Severity: medium

Risk score: 47

Runs every: 5 minutes

Searches indices from: now-9m (Date Math format, see also Additional look-back time)

Maximum alerts per execution: 100

Tags:

  • Elastic
  • Linux

Version: 3 (version history)

Added (Elastic Stack release): 7.8.0

Last modified (Elastic Stack release): 7.9.1

Rule authors: Elastic

Rule license: Elastic License

Rule queryedit

event.category:process and event.type:(start or process_started) and
((process.name:service and process.args:stop) or
(process.name:chkconfig and process.args:off) or
(process.name:systemctl and process.args:(disable or stop or kill)))
and process.args:(syslog or rsyslog or "syslog-ng")

Threat mappingedit

Framework: MITRE ATT&CKTM

Rule version historyedit

Version 3 (7.9.1 release)
  • Formatting only
Version 2 (7.9.0 release)
  • Updated query, changed from:

    event.action:(executed or process_started) and ((process.name:service
    and process.args:stop) or (process.name:chkconfig and
    process.args:off) or (process.name:systemctl and process.args:(disable
    or stop or kill))) and process.args:(syslog or rsyslog or "syslog-ng")