What is the difference between auditing and logging?

Auditing and logging are two important aspects of operating system security and performance monitoring. They both involve collecting and storing information about the events and activities that occur on a system, but they have different purposes and characteristics. In this article, we will explain the difference between auditing and logging, and how they can help you protect and optimize your system.

1 What is auditing?

Auditing is the process of reviewing and analyzing the records of actions and events that affect the security and integrity of a system. Auditing can help you identify and investigate potential threats, violations, errors, or anomalies that occur on your system. Auditing can also help you verify compliance with policies, standards, or regulations that apply to your system. Auditing can be performed manually or automatically, depending on the level of detail and frequency required. Auditing typically involves generating reports or alerts based on predefined criteria or thresholds.

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Adunola S.

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Logging involves recording events and activities, while auditing involves analyzing these logs in more detail to ensure security and compliance. For example, auditing could include checking logs for suspicious behavior, such as repeated attempts to access certain systems or applications, or for violations of security policies.

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Andreia Billarrubia

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Enxergo a auditoria como uma ferramenta para garantir que os recursos tecnológicos estejam sendo utilizados de forma eficiente, segura e em conformidade com os padrões. É a auditoria que oficializa a integridade, confiabilidade, disponibilidade e confidencialidade dos processos e dos dados e, além disso identifica riscos e vulnerabilidades de segurança.

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2 What is logging?

Logging is the process of recording and storing the details of events and activities that occur on a system. Logging can help you track and troubleshoot the performance, functionality, or availability of your system. Logging can also help you measure and optimize the usage, capacity, or efficiency of your system. Logging can be performed at different levels, such as application, system, or network, depending on the type and scope of information required. Logging typically involves creating files or databases that contain the raw data of the events and activities.

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Andreia Billarrubia

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Os logs são registros criados para capturam informações importantes, como ações dos usuários, operações do sistema, erros, alertas de segurança, mudanças de configuração e outras atividades relevantes. Os registros de log são essenciais para monitorar e rastrear o funcionamento do software, registrar problemas, investigar erros, e contribuem na auditaria do sistema.

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3 How are auditing and logging related?

Auditing and logging are related because they both rely on the same source of information: the events and activities that occur on a system. However, auditing and logging differ in how they process, store, and use that information. Auditing focuses on analyzing and evaluating the information for security and compliance purposes, while logging focuses on recording and preserving the information for performance and operational purposes. Auditing and logging also have different requirements for the quality, quantity, and retention of the information. Auditing needs accurate, complete, and reliable information that can be verified and audited, while logging needs timely, relevant, and accessible information that can be queried and analyzed.

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Andreia Billarrubia

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Estão bastante relacionados porque durante uma auditoria , o levantamento dos logs é fundamental para as analises, pois os registros fornecem informações sobre o uso adequado ou não dos sistemas, contribui para a identificação de ações suspeitas ou sem autorização, ajuda na analise de possíveis falhas de segurança.

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4 How to enable auditing and logging on your system?

To enable auditing and logging on your system, you need to configure the settings and parameters that determine what, when, where, and how the information is collected and stored. Depending on your operating system, you may have different tools and options to enable auditing and logging. For example, on Windows, you can use the Event Viewer, the Audit Policy, or the Advanced Audit Policy Configuration to enable auditing and logging for different categories and subcategories of events. On Linux, you can use the auditd daemon, the auditctl command, or the /etc/audit/audit.rules file to enable auditing and logging for different types of system calls or actions.

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Andreia Billarrubia

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Existem diversas formas , porém antes de habilitar é importante que tenhamos a definição das politicas que serão auditadas , quais monitoramentos serão feitos e por último criar as configurações para a auditoria, registrando os logs adequados, e/ou utilizando ferramentas de mercado como Solarwinds ou Splunk para acelerar o processo de auditoria ao invés de tentar construir tudo no próximo software.

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5 How to manage auditing and logging on your system?

To ensure the effectiveness and efficiency of information collection and storage on your system, it’s important to manage auditing and logging through regular tasks and activities. These tasks include reviewing and analyzing audit reports or logs for any signs of problems, archiving or deleting old records, backing up or encrypting files to prevent loss or tampering, and updating or modifying settings. Taking these steps will help you free up space, improve performance, and reflect the changes or needs of your system.

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6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?

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What is the difference between auditing and logging?

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2

3

4

5

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1 What is auditing?

2 What is logging?

3 How are auditing and logging related?

4 How to enable auditing and logging on your system?

5 How to manage auditing and logging on your system?

6 Here’s what else to consider

Operating Systems

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What is the difference between auditing and logging?

1

2

3

4

5

6

1 What is auditing?

2 What is logging?

3 How are auditing and logging related?

4 How to enable auditing and logging on your system?

5 How to manage auditing and logging on your system?

6 Here’s what else to consider

Operating Systems

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