What is Event Logging?

October marks Cyber Security Awareness Month in Australia, a time to shine a light on the everyday steps that help organisations stay secure. The first focus this year is event logging, and for good reason.

Cyber criminals are getting smarter at hiding in plain sight. Instead of dropping obvious viruses or files, many now use the tools and software already built into your computer systems to carry out attacks, making them much harder to spot with traditional security measures. That's why event logging is so important; it enables you to keep a clear record of what's happening across your systems.

With the effective event logging in place, unusual behaviour can be flagged quickly, so you have a better chance of catching intrusions early and responding before serious damage is done.

What is Event Logging?

Event logging is the process of capturing what happens inside your systems, from user logins and software changes to network activity and security alerts. It's like a digital black box, capturing the details you need to understand what's really going on.

Event logging is often thought of as a compliance exercise, but effective logging is worth far more than that. Done well, it helps you detect suspicious or unusual activity earlier, strengthen defences by revealing patterns and weak spots, and support faster incident response. Ultimately, event logging gives your organisation the visibility and confidence to act before small anomalies become major breaches.

ACSC's Recommendations on Event Logging

The Australian Signals Directorate's Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC) has worked in partnership with leading global cyber agencies to publish joint guidance on event logging and threat detection. This international collaboration highlights the importance of visibility in defending against today's sophisticated cyber threats.

Their recommendations focus on building a strong baseline for logging across your organisation by:

1. ‍Collecting the right data: Capturing logs from operating systems, applications, cloud services, and network devices so you can see the full picture.
2. Analysing data: Not just storing logs but actively monitoring them for unusual activity and using the insights to guide incident response.
3. Centralising and protecting logs: Keeping logs in a secure, central system where they can't be altered or lost.
4. Using standardised formats: Making logs consistent so they can be easily shared, compared, and analysed.
5. Retaining information: Holding on to logs for long enough to support investigations and learn from past incidents.

These recommendations aim to give your organisation the ability to spot unusual activity sooner, detect intrusions early, and respond quickly before attackers can cause serious damage.

How Infotrust Can Help

Following the ACSC's recommendations is easier when you've got the right partner. At Infotrust, we help organisations turn event logging into a powerful defence tool, not just a compliance exercise. In fact, we offer several services that can help advance event logging and expand your organisation's ability to detect threats and respond quickly:

• Detection: Our Managed Security Operations Centre combines continuous monitoring, advanced analytics, behavioural insights, and threat intelligence to allow you to identify anomalies in real time and reduce the chance of attackers slipping through unnoticed.
• Response: With Continuous Threat Exposure Management (CTEM), our teams proactively hunt for risks, validate vulnerabilities, and provide clear steps to address them. And when incidents occur, we move fast to contain and resolve issues, minimising damage and downtime.
• Data Security: Our Data Security services put in place governance frameworks, classification strategies, and protection controls. These measures strengthen the value of your logs and improve the effectiveness of your incident response.

By combining these services, we can help you put ACSC's guidance into action and build a security posture that's able to keep pace with today's evolving threats.

Protecting Your Organisation

Cyber Security Awareness Month is all about practical steps that make a difference. Event logging might not grab headlines, but it's one of the most powerful tools organisations have for spotting trouble early and responding with confidence. When attackers are doing everything they can to hide in plain sight, visibility matters more than ever.

Ultimately, by strengthening your event logging, and pairing it with the right detection, response, and data security measures, you can turn compliance into real resilience.

To find out more about how effective event logging can strengthen visibility, resilience, and faster response across your environment, contact the experts at Infotrust to book a consultation.