Audit Log is a chronological record of security-relevant events that tracks who did what, when, and from where within a system.
Audit Log
Audit Log is a chronological record of security-relevant events that tracks who did what, when, and from where within a system.
Why It Matters
Audit logs are essential for incident response, compliance (SOC 2, PCI DSS, GDPR), and forensic analysis. The IBM 2024 breach report found that organizations with security AI and automation (including log analysis) saved an average of $2.22 million per breach.
How It Works
The system records each significant action — API calls, authentication events, configuration changes — with a timestamp, actor identity, source IP, action performed, and outcome. Logs are stored immutably for a defined retention period.
Best Practices
- Log all authentication and authorization events
- Include sufficient context (IP, user agent, action, resource)
- Store logs immutably with tamper detection
- Set retention policies that meet compliance requirements
Common Mistakes
- Logging sensitive data (passwords, full API keys) in audit logs
- Not monitoring logs in real time
- Storing logs on the same system they're monitoring
How ShieldKey Helps
ShieldKey automatically logs every proxied API request with the Shield Token used, source IP, timestamp, destination, and response status. Every action is attributed to a specific team member.
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How long should audit logs be retained?
SOC 2 requires at least 1 year. PCI DSS requires at least 1 year with 3 months immediately available. ShieldKey retains full audit trails for the duration of your subscription.