Cyber Experts Say You Should Use These Best Practices for Event Logging

In today's business world, cybersecurity is a familiar term. Companies are encountering an increasing number of cyberattacks, ranging from ransomware to advanced phishing schemes. How can you stay ahead of these threats? A robust cybersecurity strategy is crucial, and a key element of this strategy is event logging, which many business owners may not fully understand.

Consider event logging as a digital detective. By tracking activities and events within your IT systems, it helps identify potential security breaches and enables quick responses. As your managed IT service provider, we are dedicated to assisting you. We can guide you in understanding the significance of event logging and implementing best practices to protect your network.

What is Event Logging?

Event logging is the act of tracking all events that happen within your IT systems. “Event” can be many different things, such as:

• Login attempts
• File access
• Software installs
• Network traffic
• Denial of access
• System changes
• And many others

Event logging means to track all these and add a time stamp. This provides a robust picture of what is going on in your IT ecosystem. It’s through that ongoing picture that you can detect and respond to threats promptly.

Why is it critical to track and log all these events?

• Detect suspicious activity by monitoring user behavior and system events.
• Respond quickly to incidents by providing a clear record of what happened in a breach.
• Meet regulations that require businesses to maintain accurate records of system activities.

Best Practices to Use Event Logging Effectively

Event logging is most effective when you follow best practices. Here are some standard guidelines to follow. These are helpful if you're just starting out as well as for those improving existing event-logging processes.

Log What Matters Most

Let's face it: Tracking every digital action isn't necessary. Recording every activity on your network can lead to an overwhelming amount of data that's difficult to manage. Instead, concentrate on the events that are truly significant. These are the ones that can uncover security breaches and compliance issues.

The most important things to log are:

• Logins and Logouts: Keep tabs on who's accessing your systems and when. This includes failed attempts, password changes, and new user accounts.
• Accessing Sensitive Data: Track who's peeking at your most valuable information. Logging file and database access helps spot unauthorized snooping.
• System Changes: Keep a record of any changes to your system. Including software installations, configuration tweaks, and system updates. This helps you stay on top of changes and identify potential backdoors.

Event logging is much more manageable when you start with the most critical areas. This also makes it easier for small businesses.

Centralize Your Logs

Picture attempting to complete a puzzle with pieces strewn across multiple rooms. It's a mess! This is similar to dealing with numerous logs from different devices and systems. Centralizing your logs can transform this situation. A Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) system consolidates logs into a single location, encompassing those from various devices, servers, and applications.

This makes it easier to:

• Spot patterns: Connect the dots between suspicious activities across different systems.
• Respond faster: Have all the evidence you need at your fingertips. This is helpful when an incident strikes.
• Get a complete picture: See your network as a whole. This makes it easier to identify vulnerabilities.

Ensure Logs Are Tamper-Proof

It’s important to protect your event logs! Attackers love to cover their tracks by deleting or altering logs. That's why it's vital to make your logs tamper-proof.

Here are some tips:

• Encrypt your logs: Lock them down with encryption. This makes them unreadable to unauthorized eyes.
• Use WORM storage: Once a log is written, it's locked in place, preventing changes or deletions.
• Use strong access controls: Limit who can see and change your logs to trusted personnel only.

Tamper-proof logs provide an accurate record of events even if a breach occurs. They also keep the bad guys from seeing all your system activity tracking.

Establish Log Retention Policies

Here are some things to consider:

• Compliance requirements: Some industries have specific rules about how long to keep logs.
• Business needs: How long do you need logs to investigate incidents or for auditing?
• Storage capacity: Make sure your log retention policy doesn't overwhelm your storage.

Strike the right balance with retention. You want to ensure you have the data you need without sacrificing performance.

<H3>Check Logs Regularly</H3>

The effectiveness of event logging depends on how well you utilize it. Avoid the "set and forget" approach with your logs. Regularly reviewing them is essential to detect anomalies and recognize suspicious patterns. This proactive approach allows you to address threats before they inflict significant harm. Employ security software to automate this process.

Here's how to do it effectively:

• Set up automated alerts: Get notified immediately of critical events. Such as failed logins or unauthorized access.
• Perform periodic reviews: Dive into your logs regularly. Look for patterns that might show a threat.
• Correlate events: Use your SIEM to connect the dots between different activities. It can reveal more complex attacks.

Need Help with Event Logging Solutions?

As a reliable managed IT service provider, we're here to assist you. We can help you implement these practices and keep your business secure.

Give us a call or email to schedule a chat.

About Newport Solutions

Newport Solutions has been helping small businesses in Orange County, CA for almost 20 years. Our dedicated team provides comprehensive IT services, ensuring your business operates smoothly and efficiently. From IT support to cybersecurity, we've got you covered. Discover how we can become your business's IT department today.

We proudly serve the following areas: Newport Beach, Irvine, Costa Mesa, and the greater Orange County region.

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