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NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5 · AU-6

Audit Record Review, Analysis, and Reporting

US National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) · cited in 355 of our lessons

Explanation

What it asks for. Audit records must be reviewed and analysed at a defined frequency for signs of inappropriate or unusual activity, findings reported to the right people, and the level of review adjusted when risk changes.

In practice. Good practice is automated correlation and alerting in a central log platform, supplemented by scheduled reviews of high-risk activity such as privileged actions and access to sensitive data. Auditors expect documented review procedures, records showing reviews actually happened, and escalations that resulted. This overlaps with log review in CIS Control 8 and with monitoring in ISO/IEC 27001.

Common gaps. Logs are frequently collected but never looked at, or only consulted after an incident. Review procedures often lack named owners, so nobody can show evidence of regular review.

Open SP 800-53 at NIST
The official text
a. Review and analyze system audit records [Assignment: organization-defined frequency] for indications of [Assignment: organization-defined inappropriate or unusual activity] and the potential impact of the inappropriate or unusual activity; b. Report findings to [Assignment: organization-defined personnel or roles] ; and c. Adjust the level of audit record review, analysis, and reporting within the system when there is a change in risk based on law enforcement information, intelligence information, or other credible sources of information. Discussion: Audit record review, analysis, and reporting covers information security- and privacy-related logging performed by organizations, including logging that results from the monitoring of account usage, remote access, wireless connectivity, mobile device connection, configuration settings, system component inventory, use of maintenance tools and non-local maintenance, physical access, temperature and humidity, equipment delivery and removal, communications at system interfaces, and use of mobile code or Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP). Findings can be reported to organizational entities that include the incident response team, help desk, and security or privacy offices. If organizations are prohibited from reviewing and analyzing audit records or unable to conduct such activities, the review or analysis may be carried out by other organizations granted such authority. The frequency, scope, and/or depth of the audit record review, analysis, and reporting may be adjusted to meet organizational needs based on new information received.

From NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5, a work of the US government in the public domain.

Lessons that cite it

Real incidents where this item mattered: the latest 12 of 355.