diff --git a/hadoop-common-project/hadoop-common/CHANGES.txt b/hadoop-common-project/hadoop-common/CHANGES.txt
index a4cdfedd7d3..b00de53dbaf 100644
--- a/hadoop-common-project/hadoop-common/CHANGES.txt
+++ b/hadoop-common-project/hadoop-common/CHANGES.txt
@@ -513,6 +513,8 @@ Release 2.0.0 - UNRELEASED
     HADOOP-7868. Hadoop native fails to compile when default linker
     option is -Wl,--as-needed. (Trevor Robinson via eli)
 
+    HADOOP-8316. Audit logging should be disabled by default. (eli)
+
 Release 0.23.3 - UNRELEASED
 
   INCOMPATIBLE CHANGES
diff --git a/hadoop-common-project/hadoop-common/src/main/conf/log4j.properties b/hadoop-common-project/hadoop-common/src/main/conf/log4j.properties
index 3470b3ef1b7..63e27cf72f8 100644
--- a/hadoop-common-project/hadoop-common/src/main/conf/log4j.properties
+++ b/hadoop-common-project/hadoop-common/src/main/conf/log4j.properties
@@ -102,7 +102,7 @@ log4j.appender.TLA.layout.ConversionPattern=%d{ISO8601} %p %c: %m%n
 #
 #Security appender
 #
-hadoop.security.logger=INFO,console
+hadoop.security.logger=INFO,NullAppender
 hadoop.security.log.maxfilesize=256MB
 hadoop.security.log.maxbackupindex=20
 log4j.category.SecurityLogger=${hadoop.security.logger}
@@ -126,7 +126,7 @@ log4j.appender.DRFAS.DatePattern=.yyyy-MM-dd
 #
 # hdfs audit logging
 #
-hdfs.audit.logger=INFO,console
+hdfs.audit.logger=INFO,NullAppender
 hdfs.audit.log.maxfilesize=256MB
 hdfs.audit.log.maxbackupindex=20
 log4j.logger.org.apache.hadoop.hdfs.server.namenode.FSNamesystem.audit=${hdfs.audit.logger}
@@ -141,7 +141,7 @@ log4j.appender.RFAAUDIT.MaxBackupIndex=${hdfs.audit.log.maxbackupindex}
 #
 # mapred audit logging
 #
-mapred.audit.logger=INFO,console
+mapred.audit.logger=INFO,NullAppender
 mapred.audit.log.maxfilesize=256MB
 mapred.audit.log.maxbackupindex=20
 log4j.logger.org.apache.hadoop.mapred.AuditLogger=${mapred.audit.logger}
diff --git a/hadoop-common-project/hadoop-common/src/main/packages/templates/conf/hadoop-env.sh b/hadoop-common-project/hadoop-common/src/main/packages/templates/conf/hadoop-env.sh
index e7f16fee7e0..a9771832dd0 100644
--- a/hadoop-common-project/hadoop-common/src/main/packages/templates/conf/hadoop-env.sh
+++ b/hadoop-common-project/hadoop-common/src/main/packages/templates/conf/hadoop-env.sh
@@ -48,10 +48,10 @@ done
 export HADOOP_OPTS="-Djava.net.preferIPv4Stack=true $HADOOP_CLIENT_OPTS"
 
 # Command specific options appended to HADOOP_OPTS when specified
-export HADOOP_NAMENODE_OPTS="-Dhadoop.security.logger=${HADOOP_SECURITY_LOGGER:-INFO,RFAS} -Dhdfs.audit.logger=INFO,RFAAUDIT $HADOOP_NAMENODE_OPTS"
+export HADOOP_NAMENODE_OPTS="-Dhadoop.security.logger=${HADOOP_SECURITY_LOGGER:-INFO,RFAS} -Dhdfs.audit.logger=INFO,NullAppender $HADOOP_NAMENODE_OPTS"
 export HADOOP_DATANODE_OPTS="-Dhadoop.security.logger=ERROR,RFAS $HADOOP_DATANODE_OPTS"
 
-export HADOOP_SECONDARYNAMENODE_OPTS="-Dhadoop.security.logger=${HADOOP_SECURITY_LOGGER:-INFO,RFAS} -Dhdfs.audit.logger=INFO,RFAAUDIT $HADOOP_SECONDARYNAMENODE_OPTS"
+export HADOOP_SECONDARYNAMENODE_OPTS="-Dhadoop.security.logger=${HADOOP_SECURITY_LOGGER:-INFO,RFAS} -Dhdfs.audit.logger=INFO,NullAppender $HADOOP_SECONDARYNAMENODE_OPTS"
 
 # The following applies to multiple commands (fs, dfs, fsck, distcp etc)
 export HADOOP_CLIENT_OPTS="-Xmx128m $HADOOP_CLIENT_OPTS"
diff --git a/hadoop-common-project/hadoop-common/src/main/packages/templates/conf/log4j.properties b/hadoop-common-project/hadoop-common/src/main/packages/templates/conf/log4j.properties
index 3470b3ef1b7..63e27cf72f8 100644
--- a/hadoop-common-project/hadoop-common/src/main/packages/templates/conf/log4j.properties
+++ b/hadoop-common-project/hadoop-common/src/main/packages/templates/conf/log4j.properties
@@ -102,7 +102,7 @@ log4j.appender.TLA.layout.ConversionPattern=%d{ISO8601} %p %c: %m%n
 #
 #Security appender
 #
-hadoop.security.logger=INFO,console
+hadoop.security.logger=INFO,NullAppender
 hadoop.security.log.maxfilesize=256MB
 hadoop.security.log.maxbackupindex=20
 log4j.category.SecurityLogger=${hadoop.security.logger}
@@ -126,7 +126,7 @@ log4j.appender.DRFAS.DatePattern=.yyyy-MM-dd
 #
 # hdfs audit logging
 #
-hdfs.audit.logger=INFO,console
+hdfs.audit.logger=INFO,NullAppender
 hdfs.audit.log.maxfilesize=256MB
 hdfs.audit.log.maxbackupindex=20
 log4j.logger.org.apache.hadoop.hdfs.server.namenode.FSNamesystem.audit=${hdfs.audit.logger}
@@ -141,7 +141,7 @@ log4j.appender.RFAAUDIT.MaxBackupIndex=${hdfs.audit.log.maxbackupindex}
 #
 # mapred audit logging
 #
-mapred.audit.logger=INFO,console
+mapred.audit.logger=INFO,NullAppender
 mapred.audit.log.maxfilesize=256MB
 mapred.audit.log.maxbackupindex=20
 log4j.logger.org.apache.hadoop.mapred.AuditLogger=${mapred.audit.logger}