Provide to me the hands-on steps on how Cyber Security professionals review system logs?

Question

Any response is appreciated. Thank you. 

Answer 1

Here are the typical steps that cybersecurity analysts follow to quickly review system logs:

1) Access Log Files: Obtain the relevant log files from the monitored systems or devices. These files can include event logs, firewall logs, network traffic logs, authentication logs, and more. 

2) Filter Logs: Use log management tools or scripts to filter the logs based on specific criteria like time range, severity level, source IP addresses, destination IP addresses, or keywords related to known threats or suspicious activities. 

3) Identify Anomalies: Scan through the filtered logs to find any anomalies or patterns that may indicate potential security incidents. This could include unusual login attempts, unauthorized access attempts, abnormal network traffic, or unexpected system behaviors. 

4) Correlate Events: Compare events from different log sources to get a comprehensive understanding of the security posture and potential threats. This involves comparing timestamps, source/destination IP addresses, user accounts, and other relevant attributes to detect any coordinated or multi-stage attacks. 

5) Prioritize Alerts: Give priority to alerts based on the severity of the events and their potential impact on the organization's security. Critical alerts indicating active security breaches or imminent threats should be addressed with the highest priority. 

6) Investigate Suspicious Activities: Conduct further investigation into suspicious activities or security incidents by gathering additional context from other sources like network traffic analysis, endpoint detection (EDR) tools, or threat intelligence feeds. 

7) Take Remedial Actions: Once a security incident is confirmed, take appropriate actions to contain the threat, mitigate potential damages, and restore the affected systems to a secure state. This may involve isolating compromising systems, blocking malicious IP addresses, resetting user passwords, or applying patches to vulnerable software. 

8) Document all discoveries, steps taken for analysis, and actions for fixing issues during log reviews. This record is crucial for incident response, compliance, and enhancing cybersecurity practices in the future. 

9) Regularly assess log review methods and protocols to pinpoint areas that need enhancement. This involves updating detection rules, adjusting alert thresholds, and improving the overall efficiency and effectiveness of cybersecurity monitoring and response capabilities. 

By adhering to these guidelines, cybersecurity experts can promptly examine system logs to identify and address security risks, reducing the chances of data breaches and other cyber threats.