Piergiorgio Venuti
Why IT audit and log management are important for Cybersecurity
Estimated reading time: 5 minutes
Introduction
Cybersecurity has become a major concern for modern businesses. With the increase in cyber attacks, data breaches and privacy threats, organizations must take proactive measures to protect their systems and data. Two key components of any cybersecurity program are IT audit and log management. But what is the difference between these two aspects? And why are both necessary?
What is an IT audit?
An IT audit is a process of checking security controls, configurations and vulnerabilities within an organization’s IT infrastructure and systems. Audits are conducted on a periodic basis by internal or external auditors to identify risks, weaknesses and areas for improvement.
Common elements of an IT audit include:
- Check network and security configurations
- Vulnerability scanning and penetration testing
- Review of access controls and policies
- Evaluation of update and patch management
- Inspection of incident management and response plans
Audits provide a periodic snapshot of the security posture and help ensure regulatory compliance. However, they do not provide continuous monitoring and visibility.
What is log management?
Log management refers to the centralized collection, storage and analysis of logs generated by IT systems, applications and network devices. Logs record user and system activity and are a vital source of security data and information.
The main capabilities of a log management solution include:
- Collection and centralization of logs from heterogeneous sources
- Secure long-term log storage
- Real-time correlation of suspicious events and activities
- Dashboards and reporting for visibility and monitoring
- Configurable alarms and warnings
- Log analysis for investigations and forensics
Log management provides continuous monitoring and visibility into threats and anomalous activities. However, it does not perform proactive checks of security controls.
Key differences
While audit and log management are both critical to an effective security program, there are some key differences:
Frequency – Audits are periodic. Log management is continuous and in real time.
Approach – Audits are proactive, timely checks. Log management is passive and reactive.
Perspective – Audits provide a cross-sectional snapshot. Logs provide a longitudinal view over time.
Coverage – Audits are limited in time and scope. Log management monitors the entire environment.
Output – Audits produce static reports. Logs enable dynamic analysis.
Costs – Audits require ongoing human resources. Log management automates with lower costs.
Benefits of a managed service
For both IT audit and log management, organizations can choose to implement an in-house solution or rely on managed service providers. Managed services offer several benefits:
- Experience – Specialized suppliers with in-depth expertise and established best practices.
- Resources – Access to advanced technologies and dedicated teams of professionals.
- Scalability – Elastic capabilities to meet changing needs.
- Efficiencies – Automation and optimization of processes for greater productivity.
- Compliance – Support meeting compliance standards and frameworks.
- Costs – Converting fixed costs into flexible operating expenses.
- Focus – Freeing up time and resources to focus on your core business.
Whether you choose audit or log management, managed services eliminate complexity and allow you to delegate these critical capabilities to trusted partners.
Considerations for choosing a managed service
When selecting a managed service provider, organizations should consider:
- Coverage – Breadth and depth of functionality and visibility provided.
- Skills – Level of experience with relevant technologies and standards.
- Size – Scale and capacity to handle growing volumes and needs.
- Security – Rigorous controls to protect data confidentiality.
- Flexibility – Customization to fit specific needs.
- Reporting – Clear dashboards and reports for relevant metrics and insights.
- Support – Availability of expert staff for assistance and advice.
- Pricing – Transparent and predictable pricing models.
- Integrations – Ability to incorporate with existing tools.
By choosing carefully, organizations can obtain comprehensive and effective audit and log management services on an ongoing basis.
Internal management vs outsourcing
Organizations must decide whether to manage these capabilities internally or outsource:
Internal management
- Greater control and customization
- Internal network of dedicated staff
- Maintenance of internal skills
Outsourcing
- Instant access to skills and experience
- No hiring or training requirements
- Transfer of complexity and responsibility
- Cost reduction through economies of scale
Outsourcing is often more beneficial for SMEs, while large enterprises can gain value from a hybrid approach.
Conclusion and Summary
IT audit and log management play complementary but distinct roles in a cybersecurity program. Audits provide proactive cross-sectional assessments of security posture, while log management enables ongoing monitoring and analysis. Fully managed services offer specialized expertise, streamlined operations, and elastic capabilities for both audits and log management. By choosing a reliable provider, organizations can enhance their cybersecurity without complexity or excessive expense.
Useful links:
Share
RSS
More Articles…
- From Secure Online Desktop to Cyberfero: rebranding of the leading cybersecurity company
- NIS: what it is and how it protects cybersecurity
- Advanced persistent threats (APTs): what they are and how to defend yourself
- Penetration Testing and MFA: A Dual Strategy to Maximize Security
- Penetration Testing: Where to Strike to Protect Your IT Network
- Ransomware: a plague that brings companies and institutions to their knees. Should you pay the ransom? Here is the answer.
- Why IT audit and log management are important for Cybersecurity
- Red Team, Blue Team and Purple Team: what are the differences?
Categories …
- Backup as a Service (18)
- Acronis Cloud Backup (11)
- Veeam Cloud Connect (4)
- Cloud Conference (3)
- Cloud CRM (1)
- Cloud Server/VPS (22)
- Conferenza Cloud (4)
- Cyberfero (15)
- ICT Monitoring (5)
- Log Management (2)
- News (25)
- ownCloud (4)
- Privacy (7)
- Security (203)
- Cyber Threat Intelligence (CTI) (8)
- Deception (4)
- Ethical Phishing (11)
- Netwrix Auditor (2)
- Penetration Test (11)
- Posture Guard (3)
- SOCaaS (65)
- Vulnerabilities (84)
- Web Hosting (15)
Tags
darkreading
- How to Protect Your Environment From the NTLM Vulnerability December 20, 2024This Tech Tip outlines what enterprise defenders need to do to protect their enterprise environment from the new NTLM vulnerability.
- LockBit Ransomware Developer Arrested in Israel December 20, 2024Dual Russian-Israeli national Rostislav Panev was arrested last August and is facing extradition to the US for playing a critical role in LockBit's RaaS activities, dating back to the ransomware gang's origins.
- US Ban on TP-Link Routers More About Politics Than Exploitation Risk December 20, 2024While a number of threat groups have used TP-Link bugs to infiltrate networks, a proposed ban of the company's popular routers is more about geopolitics than actual cybersecurity — and that may not be a bad thing.
- How Nation-State Cybercriminals Are Targeting the Enterprise December 20, 2024Combating nation-state threat actors at the enterprise level requires more than just cyber readiness and investment — it calls for a collaborative effort.
- Managing Threats When Most of the Security Team Is Out of the Office December 20, 2024During holidays and slow weeks, teams thin out and attackers move in. Here are strategies to bridge gaps, stay vigilant, and keep systems secure during those lulls.
- OT/ICS Engineering Workstations Face Barrage of Fresh Malware December 19, 2024Cyberattacks against OT/ICS engineering workstations are widely underestimated, according to researchers who discovered malware designed to shut down Siemens workstation engineering processes.
- Fortinet Addresses Unpatched Critical RCE Vector December 19, 2024Fortinet has patched CVE-2023-34990 in its Wireless LAN Manager (FortiWLM), which combined with CVE-2023-48782 could allow for unauthenticated remote code execution (RCE) and the ability to read all log files.
- Orgs Scramble to Fix Actively Exploited Bug in Apache Struts 2 December 19, 2024A newly discovered vulnerability, CVE-2024-53677, in the aging Apache framework is going to cause major headaches for IT teams, since patching isn't enough to fix it.
- Bridging the 'Keyboard-to-Chair' Gap With Identity Verification December 19, 2024Modern identity verification (IDV) approaches aim to connect digital credentials and real-world identity without sacrificing usability.
- Vendors Chase Potential of Non-Human Identity Management December 19, 2024Non-human identities authenticate machine-to-machine communication. The big challenge now is to secure their elements and processes — before attackers can intercept.
Full Disclosure
- Stored XSS with Filter Bypass - blogenginev3.3.8 December 19, 2024Posted by Andrey Stoykov on Dec 18# Exploit Title: Stored XSS with Filter Bypass - blogenginev3.3.8 # Date: 12/2024 # Exploit Author: Andrey Stoykov # Version: 3.3.8 # Tested on: Ubuntu 22.04 # Blog: https://msecureltd.blogspot.com/2024/12/friday-fun-pentest-series-16-stored-xss.html Stored XSS Filter Bypass #1: Steps to Reproduce: 1. Login as admin and go to "Content" > "Posts" 2. On […]
- [SYSS-2024-085]: Broadcom CA Client Automation - Improper Privilege Management (CWE-269) December 19, 2024Posted by Matthias Deeg via Fulldisclosure on Dec 18Advisory ID: SYSS-2024-085 Product: CA Client Automation (CA DSM) Manufacturer: Broadcom Affected Version(s): 14.5.0.15 Tested Version(s): 14.5.0.15 Vulnerability Type: Improper Privilege Management (CWE-269) Risk Level: High Solution Status: Fixed Manufacturer Notification: 2024-10-18 Solution Date: 2024-12-17 Public Disclosure:...
- [KIS-2024-07] GFI Kerio Control <= 9.4.5 Multiple HTTP Response Splitting Vulnerabilities December 17, 2024Posted by Egidio Romano on Dec 16--------------------------------------------------------------------------- GFI Kerio Control
- RansomLordNG - anti-ransomware exploit tool December 17, 2024Posted by malvuln on Dec 16This next generation version dumps process memory of the targeted Malware prior to termination The process memory dump file MalDump.dmp varies in size and can be 50 MB plus RansomLord now intercepts and terminates ransomware from 54 different threat groups Adding GPCode, DarkRace, Snocry, Hydra and Sage to the ever […]
- APPLE-SA-12-11-2024-9 Safari 18.2 December 12, 2024Posted by Apple Product Security via Fulldisclosure on Dec 12APPLE-SA-12-11-2024-9 Safari 18.2 Safari 18.2 addresses the following issues. Information about the security content is also available at https://support.apple.com/121846. Apple maintains a Security Releases page at https://support.apple.com/100100 which lists recent software updates with security advisories. Safari Available for: macOS Ventura and macOS Sonoma Impact: On a […]
- APPLE-SA-12-11-2024-8 visionOS 2.2 December 12, 2024Posted by Apple Product Security via Fulldisclosure on Dec 12APPLE-SA-12-11-2024-8 visionOS 2.2 visionOS 2.2 addresses the following issues. Information about the security content is also available at https://support.apple.com/121845. Apple maintains a Security Releases page at https://support.apple.com/100100 which lists recent software updates with security advisories. Crash Reporter Available for: Apple Vision Pro Impact: An app may […]
- APPLE-SA-12-11-2024-7 tvOS 18.2 December 12, 2024Posted by Apple Product Security via Fulldisclosure on Dec 12APPLE-SA-12-11-2024-7 tvOS 18.2 tvOS 18.2 addresses the following issues. Information about the security content is also available at https://support.apple.com/121844. Apple maintains a Security Releases page at https://support.apple.com/100100 which lists recent software updates with security advisories. AppleMobileFileIntegrity Available for: Apple TV HD and Apple TV 4K (all […]
- APPLE-SA-12-11-2024-6 watchOS 11.2 December 12, 2024Posted by Apple Product Security via Fulldisclosure on Dec 12APPLE-SA-12-11-2024-6 watchOS 11.2 watchOS 11.2 addresses the following issues. Information about the security content is also available at https://support.apple.com/121843. Apple maintains a Security Releases page at https://support.apple.com/100100 which lists recent software updates with security advisories. AppleMobileFileIntegrity Available for: Apple Watch Series 6 and later Impact: A […]
- APPLE-SA-12-11-2024-5 macOS Ventura 13.7.2 December 12, 2024Posted by Apple Product Security via Fulldisclosure on Dec 12APPLE-SA-12-11-2024-5 macOS Ventura 13.7.2 macOS Ventura 13.7.2 addresses the following issues. Information about the security content is also available at https://support.apple.com/121842. Apple maintains a Security Releases page at https://support.apple.com/100100 which lists recent software updates with security advisories. Apple Software Restore Available for: macOS Ventura Impact: An […]
- APPLE-SA-12-11-2024-4 macOS Sonoma 14.7.2 December 12, 2024Posted by Apple Product Security via Fulldisclosure on Dec 12APPLE-SA-12-11-2024-4 macOS Sonoma 14.7.2 macOS Sonoma 14.7.2 addresses the following issues. Information about the security content is also available at https://support.apple.com/121840. Apple maintains a Security Releases page at https://support.apple.com/100100 which lists recent software updates with security advisories. Apple Software Restore Available for: macOS Sonoma Impact: An […]
Customers
Twitter FEED
Recent activity
-
SecureOnlineDesktop
Estimated reading time: 6 minutes L'impatto crescente delle minacce informatiche, su sistemi operativi privati op… https://t.co/FimxTS4o9G
-
SecureOnlineDesktop
Estimated reading time: 6 minutes The growing impact of cyber threats, on private or corporate operating systems… https://t.co/y6G6RYA9n1
-
SecureOnlineDesktop
Tempo di lettura stimato: 6 minuti Today we are talking about the CTI update of our services. Data security is… https://t.co/YAZkn7iFqa
-
SecureOnlineDesktop
Estimated reading time: 6 minutes Il tema della sicurezza delle informazioni è di grande attualità in questo peri… https://t.co/tfve5Kzr09
-
SecureOnlineDesktop
Estimated reading time: 6 minutes The issue of information security is very topical in this historical period ch… https://t.co/TP8gvdRcrF
Newsletter
{subscription_form_1}Products and Solutions
Partners
Cloud Models
News
- From Secure Online Desktop to Cyberfero: rebranding of the leading cybersecurity company May 6, 2024
- NIS: what it is and how it protects cybersecurity April 22, 2024
- Advanced persistent threats (APTs): what they are and how to defend yourself April 17, 2024
- Penetration Testing and MFA: A Dual Strategy to Maximize Security April 15, 2024
- Penetration Testing: Where to Strike to Protect Your IT Network March 25, 2024
Google Reviews
Ottima azienda, servizi molto utili, staff qualificato e competente. Raccomandata!read more
Ottimo supportoread more
E' un piacere poter collaborare con realtà di questo tiporead more
Un ottimo fornitore.
Io personalmente ho parlato con l' Ing. Venuti, valore aggiunto indubbiamente.read more
About
© 2024 Cyberfero s.r.l. All Rights Reserved. Sede Legale: via Statuto 3 - 42121 Reggio Emilia (RE) – PEC [email protected] Cod. fiscale e P.IVA 03058120357 – R.E.A. 356650 Informativa Privacy - Certificazioni ISO