Examine Log Files and Remove Traces of Your Presence

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Examine Log Files and Remove Traces of Your Presence

The goal of this lab is to find traces of your presence in the system logs and remove them.

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Lab Info

Level

Intermediate

Last updated

Jun 08, 2025

Duration

30m

Challenge

Find your public IP address.
Challenge

Become `root`.

Run the following command: sudo -i
Challenge

Open the `/var/log/secure` log file.

Run the following command: vim /var/log/secure
Challenge

Find all entries containing your IP address.

Run the following command: /<IP ADDRESS>
Challenge

Remove all traces of your presence.
1. Press i to edit the log file.
2. Delete all entries containing your IP address.
Challenge

Save the changes and close the log file.

Run :wq in vim.
Challenge

Log out.

Run the following command: exit

About the author

Pluralsight Skills

Pluralsight Skills gives leaders confidence they have the skills needed to execute technology strategy. Technology teams can benchmark expertise across roles, speed up release cycles and build reliable, secure products. By leveraging our expert content, skill assessments and one-of-a-kind analytics, keep up with the pace of change, put the right people on the right projects and boost productivity. It's the most effective path to developing tech skills at scale.

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