diff --git a/debian/changelog b/debian/changelog
index b8a54c63..b3fd31b5 100644
--- a/debian/changelog
+++ b/debian/changelog
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@ fail2ban (1.0.2-3) unstable; urgency=medium
   * Add banaction = nftables in the defaults-debian.conf default
     see https://github.com/fail2ban/fail2ban/discussions/3575#discussioncomment-7045315
   * Move python3-systemd as depend (Closes: #770171)
+  * Add backend = systemd to jail.d/defaults-debian.conf
 
  -- Sylvestre Ledru <sylvestre@debian.org>  Tue, 19 Sep 2023 13:55:20 +0200
 
diff --git a/debian/debian-files/jail.d_defaults-debian.conf b/debian/debian-files/jail.d_defaults-debian.conf
index 0267e706..d0d52ae8 100644
--- a/debian/debian-files/jail.d_defaults-debian.conf
+++ b/debian/debian-files/jail.d_defaults-debian.conf
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 [DEFAULT]
 banaction = nftables
 banaction_allports = nftables[type=allports]
+backend = systemd
 
 [sshd]
 enabled = true