Logs serve as a fundamental component of business security. Using centralized log management allows quick action at the first sign of an incident and easy comparison against past threats to develop a protective strategy for your company.
The data received through log analysis is used to discover relationships and patterns, analyze user activity, and make informed decisions. They are also used to identify suspicious events that potentially indicate a cyber-attack. It’s no surprise that organizations worldwide have now started using log analysis in one form or another. Let’s start with some definitions.
What Is A Log?
A log is a record of events that occur in a given system. These events can happen in many ways, but they’re all valuable sources of information when you need to investigate a security incident.
4 Common Sources of Logs
Endpoint Logs
A network’s endpoint is a computer, such as a desktop, laptop, smartphone, server, or workstation. Endpoints produce a variety of logs at various levels of their software stack – hardware, operating system, middleware and database, and applications.
Router Logs
A network’s infrastructure comprises equipment such as routers, switches, and load balancers. Their logs contain crucial information regarding traffic flows, such as internal user destinations, external traffic sources, traffic volumes, protocol usage, and more.
Event Logs
Event logs capture events in operating systems, applications, and devices. Log files are created by each operating system and by programs and hardware devices. Security teams can use logs to track users on the corporate network, spot suspicious behavior, and find flaws in their systems.
Firewall Logs
Information from the firewall provides network administrators with real-time data to detect any suspicious activities and helps detect malicious behavior present in the network. It gives details on the source and destination IP addresses, connection time, the port used, among other things.
Importance Of SIEM (Security Information And Event Management)
To protect your company against cybersecurity threats, you must have a system in place that can track what attempts are being made against your servers and networks, so you can take immediate action. That way, you can ensure that things are secure and track down where any breaches occur.
If you didn’t know, SIEM is a vital tool cybersecurity professionals use to detect and respond to threats. SIEM stands for Security Information and Event Management and is a centralized software platform that monitors all the logs your company generates from computers, servers, and other devices and detects any suspicious activity.
SIEM generates an alert and assigns a threat level based on established rules to detect a threat through network security monitoring. For example, attempting to log into an account 100 times in 10 minutes may be considered an attempted assault that generates security alerts. The goal of SIEM is to monitor your infrastructure for suspicious activity, which can identify malicious attacks before they cause damage.
You can think of a SIEM system as your own personal CIA. Your SIEM system records and stores your logs, monitors and detects any irregularities, reports on those irregularities, and helps you strategize to avoid future problems.
SIEMS’ main features include:
- Effective Security Monitoring
- Threat Detection
- Fast Response
Need Reliable IT Consulting Services?
As a business owner, you need to know that cyber threats are constantly evolving as technology advances. A single breach can cost your business thousands of dollars. Cyber attacks can also jeopardize your customers’ trust in your company, leading to a loss of business and revenue.
To combat this risk, you need a robust system in place that allows you to detect any possible threats in real-time and respond appropriately. At Upstart Cyber, as a leading cybersecurity company, we provide you with the best security measures to help you minimize risks and safeguard your business and data from any cyber threats.
We offer different cyber security solutions tailored to your business needs, including log aggregation to keep track, review, and respond to suspicious events. We also provide options for fully managed IT services for your company.
