While logs are essential for troubleshooting and monitoring the health of your server, there may be circumstances where you may want to disable logging for improved security and privacy. This article will guide you through the steps to disable all logging in Ubuntu Server 16.04.
Disclaimer: Disabling all logging is generally not recommended as it can make it difficult to troubleshoot issues or identify security breaches. It’s advisable to keep logs enabled and regularly review them for any suspicious activities. Proceed with caution.
Disabling all logging in Ubuntu Server 16.04 is not recommended for improved security and privacy. Logs are essential for troubleshooting and monitoring server health. However, if you still wish to proceed, you can stop the rsyslog daemon, disable it from starting on reboot, and modify the rsyslog configuration file to prevent including other configuration files. Remember to always consider the implications before disabling logging on your server.
Stopping the rsyslog daemon
The first step in disabling all logging in Ubuntu Server 16.04 is to stop the rsyslog daemon. The rsyslog daemon is responsible for system logging and reads configuration files for logging rules.
To stop the rsyslog daemon, open your terminal and type the following command:
sudo systemctl stop rsyslog.serviceIn this command, sudo runs the command as an administrator, systemctl is a system management command, stop instructs the service to stop running, and rsyslog.service is the name of the service we want to stop.
Disabling rsyslog from starting on reboot
The next step is to prevent the rsyslog service from starting when the server reboots. This can be achieved by disabling the service using the systemctl command.
Type the following command in your terminal:
sudo systemctl disable rsyslog.serviceThe disable command here instructs the system not to start the rsyslog service during the boot process.
Modifying the rsyslog configuration file
The next step involves modifying the rsyslog configuration file to stop it from including other configuration files.
Open the /etc/rsyslog.conf file in a text editor with root privileges, like so:
sudo nano /etc/rsyslog.confFind the following line in the file:
$IncludeConfig /etc/rsyslog.d/*.confAnd comment it out by adding a # at the beginning of the line, like so:
#$IncludeConfig /etc/rsyslog.d/*.confSave the file and exit the editor. In nano, you can do this by pressing Ctrl+X, then Y to confirm that you want to save the changes, and then Enter to confirm the file name.
Restarting the server
Finally, you need to restart your server for the changes to take effect. You can do this by running the following command:
sudo rebootThe reboot command will restart your server.
Conclusion
By following these steps, you should have successfully disabled all logging in Ubuntu Server 16.04. Remember, this should only be done if absolutely necessary, as logs are crucial for maintaining the security and integrity of your server. Always consider the implications before disabling logging on your server.
No, disabling all logging is generally not recommended as it can make it difficult to troubleshoot issues or identify security breaches. It’s advisable to keep logs enabled and regularly review them for any suspicious activities.
To stop the rsyslog daemon, you can use the following command in the terminal: sudo systemctl stop rsyslog.service
You can disable the rsyslog service from starting during the boot process by using the command: sudo systemctl disable rsyslog.service
To modify the rsyslog configuration file, you can open the /etc/rsyslog.conf file in a text editor with root privileges, such as sudo nano /etc/rsyslog.conf. Then, find the line $IncludeConfig /etc/rsyslog.d/*.conf and comment it out by adding a # at the beginning of the line. Save the file and exit the editor.
To restart the server, you can use the command sudo reboot in the terminal. This will restart your server and apply the changes made to disable logging.
