T1070.001: Clear Windows Event Logs
| View on MITRE ATT&CK | T1070.001 |
|---|---|
| Tactic(s) | Defense Evasion |
Data from MITRE ATT&CK®:
Adversaries may clear Windows Event Logs to hide the activity of an intrusion. Windows Event Logs are a record of a computer's alerts and notifications. There are three system-defined sources of events: System, Application, and Security, with five event types: Error, Warning, Information, Success Audit, and Failure Audit.
The event logs can be cleared with the following utility commands:
wevtutil cl systemwevtutil cl applicationwevtutil cl security
These logs may also be cleared through other mechanisms, such as the event viewer GUI or PowerShell. For example, adversaries may use the PowerShell command Remove-EventLog -LogName Security to delete the Security EventLog and after reboot, disable future logging. Note: events may still be generated and logged in the .evtx file between the time the command is run and the reboot.(Citation: disable_win_evt_logging)
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Cyber Threat Graph Context
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Mitigations for this technique
MITRE ATT&CK Mitigations
Remote Data Storage
Use remote security log and sensitive file storage where access can be controlled better to prevent exposure of intrusion detection log data or sensitive information.Restrict File and Directory Permissions
Restrict access by setting directory and file permissions that are not specific to users or privileged accounts.Encrypt Sensitive Information
Protect sensitive information with strong encryption.How to detect this technique
MITRE ATT&CK Data Components
Process Creation (Process)
The initial construction of an executable managed by the OS, that may involve one or more tasks or threads. (e.g. Win EID 4688, Sysmon EID 1, cmd.exe > net use, etc.)File Deletion (File)
Removal of a file (ex: Sysmon EID 23, macOS ESF EID ES_EVENT_TYPE_AUTH_UNLINK, or Linux commands auditd unlink, rename, rmdir, unlinked, or renameat rules)OS API Execution (Process)
Operating system function/method calls executed by a processCommand Execution (Command)
The execution of a line of text, potentially with arguments, created from program code (e.g. a cmdlet executed via powershell.exe, interactive commands like >dir, shell executions, etc. )Control Validation Tests for this Technique
Use Atomic Red Team tests to test your defenses against this technique.
Sigma Detections for this Technique
Suspicious Eventlog Clear
Suspicious Windows Trace ETW Session Tamper Via Logman.EXE
Suspicious Eventlog Clear or Configuration Change
Important Windows Eventlog Cleared
Eventlog Cleared
Security Eventlog Cleared
SP800-53 Controls
See which controls can help protect against this MITRE ATT&CK technique. This is based on mappings to associated SP800-53 controls produced by the MITRE Engenuity Center for Threat-Informed Defense.