t1070-001-clear-windows-event-logs

name	T1070.001_clear-windows-event-logs
description	Adversaries may clear Windows Event Logs to hide the activity of an intrusion.
category	configuration
version	18.1
author	cyberstrike-official
tags	["mitre-attack","enterprise","t1070.001","defense-evasion","windows","sub-technique"]
technique_id	T1070.001
tactic	defense-evasion
all_tactics	["defense-evasion"]
platforms	["Windows"]
mitre_url	https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1070/001
tech_stack	["windows"]
cwe_ids	["CWE-693"]
chains_with	["T1070","T1070.002","T1070.003","T1070.004","T1070.005","T1070.006","T1070.007","T1070.008","T1070.009","T1070.010"]
prerequisites	["T1070"]
severity_boost	{"T1070":"Chain with T1070 for deeper attack path","T1070.002":"Chain with T1070.002 for deeper attack path","T1070.003":"Chain with T1070.003 for deeper attack path"}

T1070.001 Clear Windows Event Logs

Sub-technique of: T1070

High-Level Description

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.

With administrator privileges, the event logs can be cleared with the following utility commands:

• wevtutil cl system
• wevtutil cl application
• wevtutil 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.

Adversaries may also attempt to clear logs by directly deleting the stored log files within C:\Windows\System32\winevt\logs\.

Kill Chain Phase

• Defense Evasion (TA0005)

Platforms: Windows

What to Check

• Identify if Clear Windows Event Logs technique is applicable to target environment
• Check Windows systems for indicators of Clear Windows Event Logs
• Verify mitigations are bypassed or absent (3 known mitigations)
• Assess detection coverage (1 detection strategies)

How to Test

Atomic Red Team Tests

The following tests are from Atomic Red Team and provide actionable ways to test this technique:

Atomic Test 1: Clear Logs

Upon execution this test will clear Windows Event Logs. Open the System.evtx logs at C:\Windows\System32\winevt\Logs and verify that it is now empty.

Supported Platforms: windows Elevation Required: Yes

wevtutil cl #{log_name}

Atomic Test 2: Delete System Logs Using Clear-EventLog

Clear event logs using built-in PowerShell commands. Upon successful execution, you should see the list of deleted event logs Upon execution, open the Security.evtx logs at C:\Windows\System32\winevt\Logs and verify that it is now empty or has very few logs in it.