---
title: Playbook for OSquery of External Address in /etc/hosts file
description: This playbook provides systematic remediation steps to investigate incidents that indicate that an internal hostname or domain has been assigned to an external IP address on the local DNS\(/etc/hosts\) of a Linux server.
locale: en-US
canonical_url: https://www.servicenow.com/docs/r/australia/security-management/security-incident-response/playbook-osquery-external-address.html
release: australia
product: Security Incident Response
classification: security-incident-response
topic_type: concept
last_updated: "2026-03-12"
reading_time_minutes: 1
breadcrumb: [Flow-based Playbooks, Security Incident Response playbooks, Playbook Resources, Security Incident Response, Enterprise security case management applications, Security Operations]
---

# Playbook for OSquery of External Address in /etc/hosts file

This playbook provides systematic remediation steps to investigate incidents that indicate that an internal hostname or domain has been assigned to an external IP address on the local DNS\(/etc/hosts\) of a Linux server.

-   **[Set up the OSquery of External Address in the /etc/hosts file playbook](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ServiceNow/ServiceNowDocs/australia/markdown/australia/security-management/security-incident-response/playbook-setup-osquery-external-address.md)**  
Use the following steps to set up the OSquery of External Address in the /etc/hosts file playbook.
-   **[Use the OSquery of External Address in the /etc/hosts file playbook](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ServiceNow/ServiceNowDocs/australia/markdown/australia/security-management/security-incident-response/playbook-using-osquery-external-address.md)**  
Use this playbook to investigate incidents that indicate that an internal hostname or domain has been assigned to an external IP address on the local DNS\(/etc/hosts\) of a Linux server. The following steps give you a walkthrough of the actions, tasks, and subflows that are available in the OSquery of external address in the /etc/hosts file playbook.

**Parent Topic:**[Flow-based Playbooks](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ServiceNow/ServiceNowDocs/australia/markdown/australia/security-management/security-incident-response/playbook-flow-based.md)