Mastering Event Logging: Key Strategies to Strengthen Your Cybersecurity

The Role of Event Logging in Cybersecurity

Today’s businesses are well-acquainted with the term cybersecurity. The threats are growing more sophisticated, from ransomware attacks to advanced phishing schemes. So, how can you stay ahead? A robust cybersecurity strategy is critical—and one vital yet often overlooked component of this strategy is event logging.

Think of event logging as a digital detective. Tracking activities across your IT systems helps identify potential security breaches and enables a swift response. As your managed IT service provider, we’re here to help you understand the importance of event logging and implement best practices to protect your network.

What Is Event Logging?

Event logging involves tracking all events that occur within your IT systems. An “event” can include activities such as:

• Login attempts
• File access
• Software installations
• Network traffic
• Denied access attempts
• System changes

Each event is logged with a timestamp, creating a detailed record of your IT environment. This comprehensive view helps you detect and address threats proactively.

Why is Event Logging Critical?

• Detect Suspicious Activity: Monitor user behaviour and system events to identify anomalies.
• Respond Quickly to Incidents: Use detailed logs to understand and mitigate breaches.
• Ensure Regulatory Compliance: Maintain accurate records of system activities to meet legal requirements.

Best Practices for Effective Event Logging

Event logging is most useful when it’s targeted and well-organised. Whether you’re starting from scratch or refining your current practices, follow these best practices.

Focus on What Matters Most

Tracking every action across your network can create an overwhelming amount of data. Instead, prioritise logging the events most critical to security and compliance, such as:

• Logins and Logouts: Monitor who accesses your systems, including failed attempts, password changes, and new accounts.
• Access to Sensitive Data: Record who views or interacts with valuable information to catch unauthorised access.
• System Changes: Log software installations, configuration changes, and updates to track alterations that may introduce vulnerabilities.

Concentrating on these critical areas makes event logging manageable for small businesses.

Event logging is a powerful tool for strengthening your cybersecurity framework. By focusing on essential activities and following best practices, you can stay proactive in identifying and mitigating threats. Contact us today to learn how we can help you implement effective event-logging processes to protect your business. 

Centralising Event Logs: A Smarter Approach to Cybersecurity

Imagine solving a puzzle with the pieces scattered across different rooms—chaotic and inefficient. That’s what managing logs separately for various devices and systems is like. Centralising your logs is a game-changer.

Using a Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) system allows you to consolidate logs from multiple devices, servers, and applications in one place. This approach helps you:

• Spot Patterns: Identify connections between suspicious activities across your network.
• Respond Faster: Access all the necessary evidence quickly during an incident.
• See the Full Picture: View your network holistically to pinpoint vulnerabilities.

Ensure Logs Are Tamper-Proof

Event logs are valuable, and attackers know it. Cybercriminals often attempt to cover their tracks by altering or deleting logs, but protecting logs from tampering is crucial to maintaining their integrity.

Tips to Make Logs Tamper-Proof:

• Encrypt Logs: Use encryption to keep them secure and unreadable to unauthorised users.
• Utilise WORM Storage: Write Once, Read Many (WORM) storage ensures logs can’t be modified or deleted after creation.
• Apply Strong Access Controls: Restrict access to logs to authorised personnel only.

Tamper-proof logs provide an accurate and trustworthy record, even during a breach, and keep attackers from seeing your tracking activities.

Establish Log Retention Policies

Logs take up space, and keeping them forever isn’t always practical—or necessary. At the same time, deleting logs too soon can leave you vulnerable. Establishing clear retention policies ensures you strike the right balance.

Considerations for Log Retention:

• Compliance Requirements: Certain industries mandate specific retention periods.
• Business Needs: Ensure logs are available for investigations or audits as needed.
• Storage Capacity: Avoid overloading your storage by setting realistic retention timelines.

A well-planned retention policy ensures you have critical data without affecting system performance.

Regularly Review Your Logs

Event logging is only effective if the logs are reviewed and acted upon. Avoid the “set and forget” mindset—regularly monitoring logs is essential to identifying and addressing threats before they escalate.

Best Practices for Log Reviews:

• Set Up Automated Alerts: Receive real-time notifications for critical events, such as failed login attempts or unauthorised access.
• Perform Periodic Reviews: Regularly examine logs for patterns that may indicate a threat.
• Correlate Events: Use your SIEM to connect the dots between events, helping you uncover complex or coordinated attacks.

Automating parts of the process with security software can make log management more efficient and effective.

Need Help with Event Logging Solutions?

Managing event logs can be complex, but it’s critical to your cybersecurity strategy. As a trusted managed IT service provider, we’re here to help.

Contact us today to discuss how we can implement effective event-logging practices to keep your business secure.