Why Audit Logs Matter
Audit logs are your evidence trail: they prove who accessed sensitive systems, when, from where, and what changed. Without reliable logs, incident response and compliance audits become difficult and expensive.
Minimum Fields to Log
- Actor identity (user/service account)
- Action (view, create, update, delete, share, policy change)
- Target resource identifier
- Timestamp and timezone
- Source context (IP/device/session)
- Outcome (success/failure)
Log Quality Requirements
- Immutable or tamper-evident storage
- Time synchronization across systems
- Consistent event schema
- Controlled access to logs with meta-auditing
Compliance Mapping (Practical)
SOC 2
Show logical access controls, monitoring, and timely revocation evidence.
ISO 27001
Demonstrate access provisioning, review cadence, and event logging controls.
PCI-DSS
Provide detailed trails for privileged access and security-relevant events.
Review Cadence
- Daily: high-risk alerts and failed-auth spikes
- Weekly: privileged access and bulk export events
- Monthly: full access review + control exceptions
Retention and Archival
Set retention based on regulation and risk profile. Keep searchable hot storage for recent events and archive older logs in encrypted, access-controlled storage with tested restore procedures.
Suggested Retention Baseline
- Hot/searchable logs: 90–180 days
- Archive logs: 1–7 years based on legal/compliance needs
- Restore test: at least quarterly
Auditor-Ready Evidence (Quick List)
- Access change approvals + timestamps
- Privileged activity samples
- Alert investigation tickets
- Monthly review sign-off records
Audit Evidence Pack Checklist
- Access change approvals
- Sample event exports for requested period
- Alert rules and incident tickets
- Access review records and remediation actions
Where LockPulse Fits
LockPulse can be used as the credential activity source in your broader audit process; combine it with IAM, CI/CD, and cloud logs for complete evidence coverage.
Related: access control best practices.