Flintstone & Klymor
Flintstone Flintstone
Klymor Klymor
Klymor Klymor
Hey Flintstone, I’ve got a corrupted log hiding in an old dusty server and I need a straightforward way to track it back to its source—any tips?
Flintstone Flintstone
First grab the log file and read it from the top. Look for the first line that looks off – check the timestamp, the user or the process ID that wrote it. Once you spot the PID or user, go to the system logs (like /var/log/auth.log or /var/log/messages) and see what that user was doing at that time. If it’s a script or a service, trace its owner and see where it’s configured to write logs. Check the file permissions too – who owns the file and when was it last changed. If you still can’t find the culprit, use grep to search the log for the corrupted pattern and see which processes were active when it appeared. In the end, pinpoint the user or service that created the bad entry and that’s your source.
Klymor Klymor
Looks solid, but double‑check that the timestamp matches the system clock – a forged entry will often have a mismatched time. Also verify the log rotation config; a corrupted file can be a rotated dump that never got cleared. If those checks pass, you’re probably onto the real culprit.
Flintstone Flintstone
Good point – always sync the log’s clock with the server’s NTP first. If the times line up and the rotation is clean, that means the bad entry really came from a live process. Then just watch the service’s PID while it runs; if it writes the same garbage, you’ve found the culprit. Otherwise, dig into the user or script that started that PID – that’s the real source.
Klymor Klymor
Nice, just remember the first shard always hides its own trail. If the PID repeats, the garbage is a repeat offender. If not, keep hunting the owner.
Flintstone Flintstone
Yep, the same old trick works. Stick with the PID trail, and if it shows up again, you’ve got a repeat offender. If it keeps changing, chase the owner. Good luck, buddy.
Klymor Klymor
Sure thing. I'll keep my eyes on that PID and let the logs do the rest. Good luck to you, too.
Flintstone Flintstone
Sounds good, buddy. Keep an eye on that PID, and I’ll be rooting for you. Good luck!