1. Purpose
The purpose of this Security Monitoring and Logging Policy is to establish requirements for the collection, protection, monitoring, analysis, retention, and review of logs and security events generated by organizational systems, applications, networks, and security controls.
Effective monitoring and logging provide visibility into system activity, support threat detection, facilitate incident response, assist forensic investigations, support compliance requirements, and help ensure the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of organizational information assets.
This policy establishes a framework for security event monitoring and log management across the organization.
2. Scope
This policy applies to:
- All employees
- Contractors
- Consultants
- Temporary personnel
- Interns
- Third-party personnel responsible for managing organizational systems
This policy applies to:
- Servers
- Workstations
- Laptops
- Mobile devices
- Applications
- Databases
- Cloud environments
- Network devices
- Security appliances
- Identity and access management systems
- Security monitoring platforms
- Virtual environments
- Containers
- Internet-facing systems
The policy applies to all systems owned, operated, managed, or controlled by the organization.
3. Policy Statement
The organization shall maintain a formal Security Monitoring and Logging Program designed to detect, investigate, respond to, and report security-related events affecting organizational systems and information assets.
Appropriate logging and monitoring controls shall be implemented to provide visibility into security events, support incident response activities, and satisfy business, regulatory, legal, and contractual requirements.
Logs and monitoring data shall be protected from unauthorized access, modification, disclosure, and destruction.
4. Objectives
The objectives of this policy are to:
- Detect malicious activity and security incidents.
- Improve visibility into organizational systems.
- Support incident response and forensic investigations.
- Monitor compliance with security requirements.
- Protect the integrity of audit records.
- Support operational troubleshooting.
- Meet regulatory and contractual obligations.
- Establish accountability for security monitoring activities.
5. Definitions
Log
A record generated by a system, application, device, or security control that documents events, activities, or transactions.
Security Event
An observable occurrence within a system or network that may have security significance.
Security Incident
An event or series of events that jeopardizes the confidentiality, integrity, or availability of information assets.
Audit Trail
A chronological record of activities that allows reconstruction and examination of events.
Security Monitoring
The continuous observation and analysis of systems, networks, applications, and security events.
Security Information and Event Management (SIEM)
A platform used to collect, correlate, analyze, and report security-related events from multiple sources.
6. Roles and Responsibilities
Executive Management
Responsible for:
- Supporting security monitoring initiatives.
- Providing necessary resources.
- Reviewing significant security events and risks.
Information Security Team
Responsible for:
- Managing the Security Monitoring and Logging Program.
- Reviewing security events and alerts.
- Investigating suspicious activity.
- Maintaining monitoring tools.
- Defining logging requirements.
- Reporting security metrics and findings.
Information Technology Team
Responsible for:
- Configuring logging capabilities.
- Maintaining monitored systems.
- Supporting incident investigations.
- Protecting log data.
- Ensuring log collection functionality.
System Owners
Responsible for:
- Supporting monitoring requirements.
- Reviewing security findings affecting their systems.
- Assisting with remediation efforts.
Employees
Responsible for:
- Reporting suspicious activity.
- Cooperating with investigations.
- Following organizational security requirements.
7. Security Monitoring and Logging Program
The organization shall maintain a documented Security Monitoring and Logging Program that includes:
- Log collection
- Event monitoring
- Alert management
- Event analysis
- Incident escalation
- Log retention
- Log protection
- Compliance reporting
- Continuous improvement
Monitoring activities shall be risk-based and aligned with organizational requirements.
8. Logging Requirements
Systems shall generate logs sufficient to support:
- Security monitoring
- Incident investigations
- Compliance activities
- Operational troubleshooting
- Accountability and auditability
Logging shall be enabled whenever technically feasible.
9. Events to Be Logged
The organization shall log security-relevant events, including where applicable:
Authentication Events
- Successful logins
- Failed logins
- Account lockouts
- Password changes
- Privilege escalations
- Multi-factor authentication events
Access Control Events
- Account creation
- Account modification
- Account deletion
- Permission changes
- Administrative access
System Events
- System startup and shutdown
- Service failures
- Configuration changes
- Software installations
- Security setting modifications
Network Events
- Firewall activity
- VPN connections
- Remote access activity
- Network security events
- Intrusion detection alerts
Application Events
- User access activity
- Administrative actions
- Authentication failures
- Security exceptions
- Critical application errors
Database Events
- Administrative access
- Privileged activity
- Data export activity
- Access failures
- Schema changes
Security Events
- Malware detections
- Endpoint security alerts
- Vulnerability scan findings
- Threat intelligence matches
- Security policy violations
10. Log Collection
Logs shall be collected from systems and devices based on risk and business requirements.
Log collection methods may include:
- Centralized logging platforms
- SIEM solutions
- Cloud-native monitoring services
- Security monitoring tools
- Agent-based collection methods
Centralized log collection shall be used whenever practical.
11. Time Synchronization
Systems generating logs shall utilize synchronized time sources whenever feasible.
Time synchronization helps ensure:
- Accurate event correlation
- Reliable investigations
- Consistent audit records
- Effective incident response
Approved time synchronization services shall be used across the environment.
12. Log Protection
Log data shall be protected against:
- Unauthorized access
- Unauthorized modification
- Unauthorized deletion
- Unauthorized disclosure
Controls may include:
- Access restrictions
- Encryption
- Integrity monitoring
- Backup procedures
- Centralized storage
Access to logs shall be limited to authorized personnel.
13. Log Retention
Logs shall be retained according to legal, regulatory, contractual, operational, and business requirements.
Unless otherwise required, security logs should be retained for a minimum of twelve (12) months.
Longer retention periods may apply for:
- Regulatory requirements
- Legal holds
- Compliance obligations
- Incident investigations
Retention requirements shall be documented.
14. Security Monitoring Requirements
Security monitoring activities shall include review and analysis of:
- Security alerts
- Authentication activity
- Network activity
- Endpoint activity
- Administrative actions
- Cloud security events
- Vulnerability information
- Threat intelligence information
Monitoring frequency shall be based on risk and system criticality.
15. Alert Management
Security alerts shall be reviewed and evaluated according to documented procedures.
Alerts may be categorized based on:
- Severity
- Risk level
- Potential impact
- Urgency
Appropriate escalation procedures shall be followed.
16. Threat Detection
The organization shall implement monitoring controls designed to detect:
- Unauthorized access attempts
- Malware activity
- Credential misuse
- Insider threats
- Suspicious network activity
- Privilege abuse
- Data exfiltration attempts
- Policy violations
Detection capabilities shall be reviewed periodically.
17. Security Event Investigation
Potential security events shall be investigated according to documented procedures.
Investigations may include:
- Event analysis
- Log review
- Correlation activities
- Forensic analysis
- Root cause determination
Investigation activities shall be documented.
18. Incident Response Integration
Security monitoring activities shall support the Incident Response Program.
Security events that meet incident criteria shall be:
- Escalated appropriately
- Documented
- Investigated
- Managed according to incident response procedures
Monitoring personnel shall understand incident escalation requirements.
19. Cloud Monitoring
Cloud environments shall be monitored according to organizational requirements.
Monitoring activities may include:
- Administrative activity monitoring
- Access monitoring
- Configuration change monitoring
- Security control monitoring
- Service-specific logging
Cloud log sources shall be reviewed periodically.
20. Third-Party Monitoring Considerations
Where third parties manage organizational systems, logging and monitoring requirements shall be addressed through contracts, service agreements, or security requirements.
Third parties may be required to:
- Maintain audit logs
- Provide monitoring reports
- Notify the organization of security events
- Support investigations
Third-party monitoring obligations shall be documented.
21. Log Review and Analysis
Logs shall be reviewed periodically based on risk and business requirements.
Review activities may include:
- Automated analysis
- Manual review
- Alert correlation
- Trend analysis
- Compliance verification
Review frequency shall be appropriate for the sensitivity and criticality of systems.
22. Security Metrics and Reporting
The organization shall maintain metrics related to monitoring and logging activities.
Metrics may include:
- Number of security alerts
- Incident detection rates
- Response times
- Investigation completion rates
- Log collection coverage
- Monitoring effectiveness measures
Metrics shall be reviewed by management periodically.
23. Compliance and Auditing
Compliance with this policy shall be verified through:
- Internal audits
- External audits
- Security assessments
- Compliance reviews
- Monitoring program evaluations
Findings shall be documented and addressed through corrective action processes.
24. Exceptions
Exceptions to this policy must:
- Be documented
- Include business justification
- Include risk assessment
- Identify compensating controls where appropriate
- Be approved by management
- Be reviewed periodically
Temporary exceptions shall include expiration dates.
25. Enforcement
Violations of this policy may result in:
- Removal of system access
- Disciplinary action
- Contract termination
- Legal action where applicable
26. Review and Maintenance
This policy shall be reviewed:
- At least annually
- Following significant technology changes
- Following major security incidents
- Following regulatory changes
- Following significant updates to monitoring capabilities
Updates shall be approved by executive management.
27. Related Policies
- Information Security Policy
- Incident Response Policy
- Vulnerability Management Policy
- Access Control Policy
- Security Risk Management Policy
- Data Retention Policy
- Security Governance Policy
- Security Control Framework Policy
28. Policy Approval
Policy Owner: Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) or Information Security Manager
Approved By: Executive Management
Effective Date: __________________
Review Date: __________________
Version: 1.0