The joint effort of the Australian Signals Directorate’s Australian Cyber Security Centre (ASD’s ACSC), along with the United States Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the National Security Agency (NSA), and various international partners has resulted in the release of a comprehensive guide titled “Best Practices for Event Logging and Threat Detection.” This guide aims to equip organizations with the necessary tools to combat the increasing prevalence of malicious cyber threats, especially those involving sophisticated techniques such as Living Off the Land (LOTL) and fileless malware.
The urgency for effective event logging and threat detection is emphasized by the evolving landscape of cyber attacks, which have become more elusive and challenging to detect. The use of LOTL techniques, which exploit existing system tools to carry out malicious activities, poses a significant threat to organizations worldwide. In response to these challenges, the guide focuses on enhancing event logging strategies and improving threat detection capabilities to safeguard critical systems.
Event logging plays a crucial role in maintaining operational continuity and strengthening the security and resilience of organizational systems. By enhancing network visibility through comprehensive event logging, organizations can better identify and respond to potential security incidents, including those involving LOTL techniques. The collaborative effort behind the creation of the guide underscores the importance of sharing best practices and insights from leading cybersecurity agencies worldwide.
The guide, developed by prominent organizations such as CISA, FBI, NSA, NCSC-UK, CCCS, NCSC-NZ, NISC, JPCERT/CC, NIS, NCSC-Korea, CSA, AIVD, and MIVD, outlines key objectives for effective event logging solutions. It emphasizes the generation of alerts for critical cybersecurity events, detecting potential incidents involving LOTL techniques, and enhancing incident response capabilities to ensure policy compliance and optimize analytical performance.
To implement best practices for event logging and threat detection, organizations must develop a comprehensive event logging policy that defines the types of events to be logged, monitoring procedures, and data retention policies. The quality of event logs is crucial for accurate threat detection, as high-quality logs capture actionable data that can differentiate between true and false positives.
In addition, event logs should include detailed information such as accurate timestamps, event types, device identifiers, IP addresses, and user activity to support threat detection and incident response efforts effectively. Centralizing event logs from diverse systems and securing their storage and integrity are essential steps to streamline data analysis and prevent unauthorized access or tampering.
Timely ingestion of event logs is crucial for early threat detection and response, as delays in log collection or analysis can impede the ability to address security incidents promptly. Implementing user and entity behavior analytics can further enhance threat detection by comparing event logs against normal behavior baselines to identify deviations that may indicate malicious activity.
Overall, the “Best Practices for Event Logging and Threat Detection” guide serves as a valuable resource for organizations looking to strengthen their cybersecurity posture against evolving threats. By implementing the recommended practices outlined in the guide, organizations can enhance their ability to detect and respond to cyber threats effectively, ultimately building a more resilient cybersecurity framework for the future. Additional resources and recommendations provided in the guide offer further insights and guidance for organizations seeking to improve their event logging and threat detection capabilities.