Overview#
Recording security-relevant events for accountability and forensics. Covers authentication, configuration changes, and administrative actions with retention aligned to policy.
Core objectives#
- Establish shared definitions of Audit Logging for security, engineering, and leadership teams.
- Connect Audit Logging activities to measurable risk reduction and resilience goals.
- Provide onboarding notes so new team members can quickly understand how Audit Logging works here.
Implementation notes#
- Identify the primary owner for Audit Logging, the data sources involved, and the systems affected.
- Document the minimum viable process, tooling, and runbooks that keep Audit Logging healthy.
- Map Audit Logging practices to standards such as ISO/IEC 27001, NIST CSF, or CIS Controls.
Operational signals#
- Leading indicators: early warnings that Audit Logging might degrade (e.g., backlog growth, noisy alerts, or missed SLAs).
- Lagging indicators: realized impact that shows Audit Logging failed or needs investment (e.g., incidents, audit findings).
- Feedback loops: retrospectives and metrics reviews that tune Audit Logging continuously.
Related practices#
- Align Audit Logging with defense-in-depth planning, threat modeling, and disaster recovery tests.
- Communicate updates to stakeholders through concise briefs, dashboards, and internal FAQs.
- Pair Audit Logging improvements with tabletop exercises to validate expectations.