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OSSEC / HIDS Rule 40703

OSSEC / HIDS rule catalog

  • Rule family: OSSEC / HIDS
  • Rule ID: 40703
  • Definition status: Present in current source
  • Alert message / subject: Systemd: Service has entered a failed state, and likely has not started.
  • Rule level: 5
  • Definition checked: 2026-10-21

Interpretation and response

This event is recorded as “Systemd: Service has entered a failed state, and likely has not started.” Review the originating log and the affected host or service to determine whether the activity was expected.

An OSSEC/HIDS event records or correlates activity. Blocking depends on the originating application and any separately configured Active Response policy; an alert alone does not prove that an attack was blocked.

Documentation

The following guidance was migrated from the historical wiki and reviewed against the rule definition. Legacy ASL product names and interface instructions refer to the versions documented then. Use the current metadata above and your installed configuration when interpreting thresholds, notification settings and response behavior.

Description

Systemd has detected that a service is in a failed state, and is most likely not running.

What you should do

This means something is wrong with the service on the system. The alert may include additional information on the nature of the error, otherwise log on to the host and run systemctl status SERVICE to get more information on the fault.

Troubleshooting

False Positives

A legitimate event may still trigger this rule. Review the surrounding activity before deciding whether it is malicious.

Tuning Guidance

There is no guidance for tuning this rule, this is a generic systemd error and the rule should not be disabled.

Additional Information

Support

If you are unsure about how to respond to this alert, please contact Atomicorp support. We’re here to help you!

Source and revision

Migrated from HIDS_40703, wiki page 782, revision 6143 (20201022). Documentation review: 2026-10-21. An archived wiki status of Active is not a current deployment status.

For assistance, provide the rule ID, installed product and rule version, and a sanitized event to Atomicorp support .