FAQ
How often does syscheck run?
By default, Syscheck runs every 6 hours, but the interval between scans can be user-defined with the frequency option.
What is the CPU usage like on the agents?
Syscheck scans are designed to run slowly to avoid too much CPU or memory use.
Where are all the checksums stored?
All of the checksums are stored on the manager /var/ossec/queue/syscheck
Can I ignore files in a directory?
Yes, you can use the ignore option to avoid false positives. See an example of this configuration by clicking on ignore-false-positives
Can Wazuh report changes in the content of a text file?
Yes, this is possible when monitoring directories. Using the report_changes option gives the exact content that has been changed in text files within the directory being monitored. Be selective about which folders you use report_changes on, because this requires syscheck to copy every single file you want to monitor with report_changes to a private location for comparison purposes.
See an example of this configuration by clicking on report changes
How does Wazuh verify the integrity of files?
The Wazuh manager stores and looks for modifications to all the checksums and file attributes received from the agents for the monitored files. It then compares the new checksums and attributes against the stored ones, generating an alert when changes are detected.
Does Wazuh monitor any directories by default?
Yes. By default Wazuh monitors /etc, /usr/bin, /usr/sbin, /bin and /sbin on Unix-like systems and C:\Windows\System32 on Windows systems.
Can I force an immediate syscheck scan?
Yes, you can force an agent to perform a system integrity check with:
/var/ossec/bin/agent_control -r -a
/var/ossec/bin/agent_control -r -u <agent_id>
See the Ossec control section for more information.
Does Syscheck start when Wazuh starts?
By default, syscheck scans when Wazuh starts, however, this behavior can be changed with the scan_on_start option
Does Wazuh alert when a new file is created?
Wazuh can send an alert when a new file is created, however, this configuration option would need to be set up by the user. Use the alert_new_files option for this configuration.