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The usual SSH authentication log depends on your Linux distribution and logging backend. Debian and Ubuntu normally write SSH events to /var/log/auth.log; RHEL-family systems such as RHEL, Rocky, Alma, and Fedora normally use /var/log/secure. On a systemd host, the journal may be the only record, so query it with journalctl -u ssh or journalctl -u sshd.
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If the expected text file is missing, do not assume SSH logging is disabled. Check whether rsyslog is installed and active, then inspect the systemd journal, which commonly remains available even when no file exists under /var/log.
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SSH log locations by Linux distribution
OpenSSH sends authentication messages to the operating system logging stack. The distribution and the active backend determine whether those messages appear in a traditional text file, the systemd journal, or both.
| Environment | First place to check | Example command |
|---|---|---|
| Debian or Ubuntu with rsyslog | /var/log/auth.log |
sudo grep sshd /var/log/auth.log |
| RHEL, Rocky, Alma, or Fedora with rsyslog | /var/log/secure |
sudo grep sshd /var/log/secure |
| Any system using systemd-journald | The journal, usually the ssh or sshd unit |
sudo journalctl -u ssh --since today or sudo journalctl -u sshd --since today |
| Host with auditd | /var/log/audit/audit.log |
sudo ausearch -m USER_LOGIN |
Rsyslog text files and journald can contain overlapping copies of the same authentication events. Seeing an entry in both places does not necessarily indicate two login attempts.
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How to locate the log on your server
1. Identify the distribution
When you have inherited an unfamiliar server, identify its distribution before choosing a path. The standard release file is readable without changing any settings:
cat /etc/os-releaseLook for a Debian- or Ubuntu-based system, or for a RHEL-family distribution such as RHEL, Rocky, Alma, or Fedora. This tells you which text path to test first, but it does not prove that rsyslog is installed. A minimal image may rely entirely on journald.
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2. Test the traditional text log
Use the path associated with your distribution and request recent SSH records. The commands below keep the output manageable by showing the last 50 matching lines.
# Debian or Ubuntu
sudo grep -E 'sshd|ssh' /var/log/auth.log | tail -n 50
# RHEL-family distribution
sudo grep -E 'sshd|ssh' /var/log/secure | tail -n 50The sudo prefix matters because authentication logs are normally readable only by root or privileged administrators. If the file is present but the command returns no lines, confirm that you used the correct path and that the file contains the time period you are investigating.
3. Query the systemd journal
On a systemd host, query the service unit rather than guessing a file name. Distributions commonly name the unit ssh or sshd, so try both:
sudo journalctl -u ssh --since today
sudo journalctl -u sshd --since todayA message that the unit does not exist usually means the other name is correct, not that SSH has no logs. You can broaden the search when the unit name is uncertain:
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sudo journalctl --since today | grep -E 'sshd|ssh'Use a narrower time range for a specific incident, such as --since '2026-10-14 18:00' and --until '2026-10-14 19:00'. Keep the date and time in the query so an old event is not mistaken for a current one.
4. Check auditd when you need audit records
If auditd is installed, its log is separate from the ordinary SSH authentication stream:
sudo ausearch -m USER_LOGIN/var/log/audit/audit.log can provide audit events that help confirm a login, but it answers a different question from the OpenSSH log. Treat it as an additional evidence source, not a replacement for the SSH service records.
Where are SSH login attempts logged on Ubuntu?
On a typical Ubuntu installation that uses rsyslog, SSH login attempts are in /var/log/auth.log. Search for the daemon name or common result text:
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grep 'Failed password' /var/log/auth.log
grep 'Accepted' /var/log/auth.logThe first search finds failed password events; the second finds accepted authentications. Add sudo if your account cannot read the file. To inspect both patterns together and retain context, use:
sudo grep -E 'Failed password|Accepted' /var/log/auth.logUbuntu systems that do not have rsyslog may have no auth.log at all. In that case, the equivalent records are in journald, usually queried with sudo journalctl -u ssh --since today.
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What is the SSH log file in CentOS or RHEL?
RHEL-family systems traditionally route SSH authentication messages to /var/log/secure. This includes RHEL, Rocky, Alma, and Fedora installations that have rsyslog configured. A quick check is:
sudo grep -E 'sshd|ssh' /var/log/secure | tail -n 50Some current or minimal installations use only journald. If /var/log/secure is absent, run both unit queries:
sudo journalctl -u ssh --since today
sudo journalctl -u sshd --since todayDo not create an empty /var/log/secure file as a workaround. The file is produced by the logging configuration; an administrator should correct the backend or routing rule instead.
Why /var/log/auth.log or /var/log/secure may be missing
rsyslog is not installed
The file paths are normally created when rsyslog receives messages and applies the distribution’s routing rules. A fresh Debian 12 installation may not install rsyslog by default, and Fedora stopped installing it by default in Fedora 20. Upgraded systems can still have rsyslog because they retained an older configuration.
rsyslog is installed but inactive
An inactive service cannot write the traditional files even though journald is collecting events. Check both logging services and the files themselves:
systemctl is-active systemd-journald
systemctl is-active rsyslog
ls -l /var/log/auth.log /var/log/secure 2>/dev/nullIf journald is active and rsyslog is inactive or missing, use journalctl. If rsyslog is active but the file is still absent, inspect its routing rules and the SSH daemon’s facility setting before changing anything.
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The file was rotated or the journal no longer retains the period
Logs can be rotated, and journal retention depends on the image and local policy. The absence of an old entry does not establish that no login occurred. Inspect journal capacity and available boots:
sudo journalctl --disk-usage
sudo journalctl --list-boots--list-boots shows which earlier boot journals are still available. A missing boot in that list means the local journal no longer has that boot’s records, regardless of whether the SSH service was active at the time.
How OpenSSH logging reaches a file or the journal
The SSH daemon’s sshd_config controls the messages it emits through settings such as LogLevel and SyslogFacility. The facility identifies the class of message; rsyslog rules then route facilities such as auth or authpriv to files like auth.log or secure.
Changing a destination file alone does not change what OpenSSH records. Conversely, changing LogLevel or SyslogFacility can alter which events are generated or where they are routed. Treat the daemon configuration and the logging service configuration as one pipeline:
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LogLevelandSyslogFacility. - Check whether journald is active and whether rsyslog is active.
- When rsyslog is active, inspect its rules for
authandauthprivdestinations. - Generate or wait for a known test event, then verify whether it appears in the selected destination.
Do not assume that a message in both a text file and the journal is duplicated by OpenSSH. The two backends may simply be retaining the same event independently.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Useful filters for successful and failed attempts
For a text log, these filters answer the most common operational questions:
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grep 'Failed password' /var/log/auth.logfinds failed password attempts on Debian or Ubuntu.grep 'Accepted' /var/log/auth.logfinds accepted authentications on Debian or Ubuntu.sudo grep -E 'Failed password|Accepted' /var/log/secureapplies both result filters to a RHEL-family log.sudo grep -E 'sshd|ssh' /var/log/auth.log | tail -n 50or the equivalentsecurecommand limits a broad search to recent matching lines.
Use the same conceptual filters after exporting journal output if you need to combine unit-based selection with text matching. Start with the unit and time window, then narrow by event wording; searching the entire journal first can mix SSH messages with unrelated services.
SSH authentication logs are not a complete activity history
An accepted SSH entry shows an authentication event, but it does not by itself document every command or action performed after the session began. The DFIR Handbook separates several evidence sources:
- OpenSSH authentication messages in
auth.log,secure, or journald. wtmpandbtmplogin databases, queried with tools such aslastandlastb.- Shell history, which is user- and shell-dependent and may be incomplete.
- Optional auditd records in
/var/log/audit/audit.log.
For an investigation, compare accepted or failed SSH entries with last, lastb, journal records, and auditd data when available. Differences are expected because each source records a different stage of the login and has its own retention and integrity limits.
A practical troubleshooting path
- Start with the distribution path. Test
/var/log/auth.logon Debian or Ubuntu, or/var/log/secureon RHEL-family systems. - Check both service units. Run
journalctl -u sshandjournalctl -u sshdwith a time range. - Verify the logging stack. Use
systemctl is-active systemd-journaldandsystemctl is-active rsyslog. - Check retention. Run
journalctl --disk-usageandjournalctl --list-bootsbefore concluding that an older event never existed. - Check alternate evidence. Query
last,lastb, andausearch -m USER_LOGINwhen those databases or auditd are present. - Review routing. If rsyslog is active but no file is created, inspect
sshd_configand rsyslog rules for the configured facility.
This sequence separates a wrong path, a different unit name, an absent rsyslog installation, a retention gap, and a routing problem without changing the server’s configuration.
Retention, tampering, and central collection
Local logs can be rotated or tampered with. A missing line therefore cannot prove that an SSH attempt did not happen, especially when the event predates the available journal boots or text-log files. On higher-risk systems, forward authentication and audit records to a centrally managed collector so an intruder cannot erase every copy from the server itself. Keep the local journal and text files useful for immediate troubleshooting, but treat centralized records as the stronger source for incident timelines.
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