Sachin Agarwal
Why do monitoring and logging matter?
Although this is a foundational question in cybersecurity and networking, National Cybersecurity Awareness Month makes this a great time to (re)visit important topics.
Monitoring and logging are very similar to security cameras and home alarm systems. They help you keep an eye on what’s happening in your applications and systems. If – when – something unusual occurs, analysts can leverage information from monitoring and logging solutions to respond and manage potential issues.
In this blog, I explore some tips from my experience as a DevOps and Systems Engineer.
10 tips for effective monitoring and logging:
- Set up alerts for unusual activity
Use monitoring tools to set up alerts for machine or human behaviors that don’t seem right. This could be, for example, a user who has experienced multiple failed logins attempts or a server with a sudden spike in traffic. This way, you can prioritize and quickly investigate suspicious activities. - If it’s important, log it
Adversaries are becoming clever in hiding their tracks. This makes logging key events, such as user logins, changes to business-critical data, and system errors, important. The information gleaned from logs can help shed light on a bad actor’s trail. - Regularly review log
Don’t just collect logs—make it a habit to review them regularly. Collaborate with your team and experts to capture and understand details from logs. Look for patterns or anomalies that could indicate a security issue. - Leverage SIEMs
Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) tools are great to collect and analyze log data from different sources, helping you detect security incidents more efficiently. - Retain logs for digital forensics
Your industry regulations may already require this, but storing your logs will not only keep you compliant but can also help you perform security investigations. SIEMs can be expensive depending on the throughput of your organization. Security data fabrics, such as DataBee, can help you decouple storage and federate security data to a centralized location like a data lake, making it easier to search through raw logs or optimized datasets to help you catch important information. - Establish a response plan
Ideally before a security event occurs, your team should have a plan in place to respond to an incident. This should include who to contact and the steps to contain any potential threats. - Educate your team
Make sure everyone on your team understands the importance of monitoring and logging. Training can help them recognize potential security threats and respond appropriately. - Keep your tools updated
Regularly update your monitoring and logging tools to ensure you’re protected against the latest threats. Outdated tools might miss important security events. - Test your monitoring setup
Running tabletops can help you test your monitoring systems and response plans to ensure they’re working correctly. Simulate incidents to see if your alerts trigger as expected. - Stay informed
Keep up to date with the latest security trends and threats. This knowledge can help you improve your monitoring and logging practices continuously.
By following these tips, you can enhance your organization's security posture and respond more effectively to potential threats. Monitoring and logging might seem like technical tasks, but they play a vital role in keeping your systems safe!
