Sigma rule: Remove Scheduled Cron Task/Job

A detection rule from the SigmaHQ repository, shown as its author published it. Dataset version ref-e822cbef377c, updated 2022-09-15T00:00:00.000Z.

Rule

Title
Remove Scheduled Cron Task/Job
Status
test
Level
medium
Author
Nasreddine Bencherchali (Nextron Systems)
Date
2022-09-15
File
rules/linux/process_creation/proc_creation_lnx_crontab_removal.yml
Commit
ccbb0369507f796db0b0ae6854c8a2be471b9d84

Detects usage of the 'crontab' utility to remove the current crontab.
This is a common occurrence where cryptocurrency miners compete against each other by removing traces of other miners to hijack the maximum amount of resources possible

Log source

product
linux
category
process_creation

Detection

selection:
    Image|endswith: 'crontab'
    CommandLine|contains: ' -r'
condition: selection

False positives (as the rule lists them)

  • Unknown

Tags

  • attack.stealth

References

Read on 2026-11-03T00:58:21.399Z under licence sigma-drl-1.1@d5f4c36a from https://github.com/SigmaHQ/sigma/blob/ccbb0369507f796db0b0ae6854c8a2be471b9d84/rules/linux/process_creation/proc_creation_lnx_crontab_removal.yml

Sources and licences

  • SigmaHQ

    "Remove Scheduled Cron Task/Job" by Nasreddine Bencherchali (Nextron Systems) (SigmaHQ). Rule: https://github.com/SigmaHQ/sigma/blob/ccbb0369507f796db0b0ae6854c8a2be471b9d84/rules/linux/process_creation/proc_creation_lnx_crontab_removal.yml.
    Licensed under the Detection Rule License (DRL) 1.1: https://github.com/SigmaHQ/Detection-Rule-License

    Detection Rule License (DRL) 1.1

Cite this page

Dragons Eye Ransomware Tracker, "Sigma rule: Remove Scheduled Cron Task/Job",
entity page, dataset version ref-e822cbef377c, updated 2022-09-15T00:00:00.000Z,
https://ransomware-tracker.com/detections/sigma/c2e234de-03a3-41e1-b39a-1e56dc17ba67 (accessed 2026-11-03).
Underlying source: SigmaHQ rule c2e234de-03a3-41e1-b39a-1e56dc17ba67, commit ccbb0369507f796db0b0ae6854c8a2be471b9d84.

Pages change. The dataset version identifies the data, but no archive of old versions is kept, so this citation cannot be replayed later.