Windows Tomcat Log File Deletion Indicating Possible Forensic Evidence Destruction

ATT&CK techniques

Defense Evasion

Recon
Resource Dev
Initial Access
Execution
Persistence
Priv Esc
Defense Evasion
- T1070Indicator Removal
Cred Access
Discovery
Lateral Movement
Collection
C2
Exfiltration
Impact

What it detects

This rule flags file deletion events on Windows where the target filename path and name match Tomcat log locations (e.g., \Tomcat\logs\) and common Tomcat log filenames such as catalina., _access_log., and localhost. Deleting these logs can remove traces of web activity and hinder incident investigation. It relies on file deletion telemetry containing the deleted target filename (TargetFilename).

Reporting behind it

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Windows Tomcat Log File Deletion Indicating Possible Forensic Evidence Destruction

Pivot detection · T1070 · 9 related

Changelog

v2

v2
Candidate ingested via manual entry.2026-07-31
v1
No changelog recorded for this version.2026-07-30

Detection content is published as a reviewed draft. Tune thresholds and exclusions against your own telemetry before enabling this rule for alerting.

windows-deletion-of-tomcat-web-server-log-files-270185ff

title: Windows Tomcat Log File Deletion Indicating Possible Forensic Evidence Destruction
id: 3f4f1d98-412e-4001-bd7f-4c4f3155f66f
status: test
description: This rule flags file deletion events on Windows where the target filename path and name match Tomcat log locations (e.g., \Tomcat\logs\) and common Tomcat log filenames such as catalina., _access_log., and localhost. Deleting these logs can remove traces of web activity and hinder incident investigation. It relies on file deletion telemetry containing the deleted target filename (TargetFilename).
references:
  - Internal Research
  - https://linuxhint.com/view-tomcat-logs-windows/
  - https://github.com/SigmaHQ/sigma/blob/master/rules/windows/file/file_delete/file_delete_win_delete_tomcat_logs.yml
author: Nasreddine Bencherchali (Nextron Systems), Huntrule Team
date: 2023-02-16
tags:
  - attack.stealth
  - attack.t1070
logsource:
  category: file_delete
  product: windows
detection:
  selection:
    TargetFilename|contains|all:
      - \Tomcat
      - \logs\
    TargetFilename|contains:
      - catalina.
      - _access_log.
      - localhost.
  condition: selection
falsepositives:
  - During uninstallation of the tomcat server
  - During log rotation
level: medium
license: DRL-1.1
related:
  - id: 270185ff-5f50-4d6d-a27f-24c3b8c9fef8
    type: derived

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