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OSSEC / HIDS Rule 591

OSSEC / HIDS rule catalog

  • Rule family: OSSEC / HIDS
  • Rule ID: 591
  • Definition status: Present in current source
  • Alert message / subject: Log file rotated.
  • Rule level: 3
  • Definition checked: 2026-10-21

Interpretation and response

This event is recorded as “Log file rotated.” 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.

Example log message:

ossec: File rotated (inode changed): `/var/log/messages`.

Explanation:

This means that the HIDS detected that a file has moved, and has been replaced with another file with the exact same name. This can occur when a log rotation system archives old log files, and it can also occur if an unauthorized change has been made. Such as a log file is moved and replaced.

Notes:

This events should be audited to ensure that they occurred via an authorized process or procedure.

Source and revision

Migrated from HIDS_591, wiki page 235, revision 2014 (20111218). 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 .