In the world of cybersecurity, adequate visibility and log fidelity are critical components in ensuring the necessary security of your organization’s assets. As cyber threats continue to evolve and become more sophisticated, it’s essential to have a comprehensive view of your many networks, cloud assets, and endpoints, provides and the ability to identify potential security incidents quickly.

Breaking these components down, “Visibility” refers to the level of insight you have into your organization’s activity. This insight includes understanding how your network operates, what devices are connected to it, and the types of traffic flowing through it. In essence, visibility provides a complete picture of your organization’s landscape, allowing you to identify and address potential security issues proactively. Adequate amounts of log fidelity will be required to raise the confidence in the assertions made by the analyst.

“Log fidelity”, on the other hand, refers to the accuracy and completeness of the data collected. It’s essential to collect logs from various devices in your organization to ensure that you have a complete picture of the activity. Log fidelity allows you to trace activity and identify potential security incidents with precision and speed.

Adequate amounts of log fidelity will be required to raise the confidence in the assertions made by the analyst, and more will always be better.

One might desire to collect the highest-fidelity of logs, but there are significant pros and cons to be considered.  Some of the most important ones are outlined below.

Pros

1. Improved troubleshooting
   Increasing log verbosity can provide more detailed information about system operations, making it easier to identify and diagnose issues.
2. Better understanding of system behavior
   With more detailed logs, it’s easier to understand how a system is behaving, providing valuable insights into its operation.
3. Improved security
   Detailed logs can provide security teams with more information about potential security incidents, making it easier to identify and respond to them.
4. Improved performance
   In some cases, increasing log verbosity can help identify performance issues that might have gone unnoticed with less detailed logs. This is effectively implementing a SNR (Signal-To-Noise Ratio).

Cons

1. Increased storage requirements
   More detailed logs require more storage space, which can be a concern for systems with limited disk space.
2. Licensing costs
   Many SIEMs are built on a pricing model that could significantly increase the cost of platform, as the total volume of logs will increase.
3. Increased processing overhead
   Generating more detailed logs can require additional processing overhead, which can impact system performance.
4. Reduced performance
   In some cases, increasing log verbosity can cause a system to slow down, especially if there is a high volume of log data.
5. Privacy concerns
   Detailed logs can contain sensitive information, which can pose privacy concerns if not handled properly.

Together, visibility and log fidelity provide a powerful tool for cybersecurity professionals to protect their organization from potential threats, but they must be properly tuned. Without adequate visibility, it’s challenging to know what’s happening within your organization, making it difficult to identify potential security incidents and manage the security posture. Similarly, without log fidelity, it’s challenging to trace activity and identify the root cause of a security incident.

Here are some recommendations for log levels in cybersecurity:

1. Use a consistent log level system
   It’s essential to use a consistent log level system across all devices and applications in your network. This ensures that all logs are categorized and prioritized in a consistent manner, making it easier to identify potential security incidents. Normalizing the log data in the earlier stages of collection will likely reduce the TCO (Total Cost of Ownership) of the platform.
2. Use a minimum of three log levels
   It’s recommended to use a minimum of three log levels: information, warning, and error. This provides a basic framework for identifying potential issues while keeping log files manageable. Where possible, consider formatting the logs in JSON (JavaScript Object Notation) as it can lower the cost of normalization between other logs.
3. Define log levels based on severity
   Define log levels based on the severity of an event or activity being logged. This ensures that the most critical events are identified and addressed promptly.
4. Define thresholds for log levels
   Define thresholds for each log level based on the severity of the event or activity being logged. For example, a warning log may be generated when a device is running low on storage space, and an error log may be generated when a device has encountered an error.
5. Define retention
   Define the period of time that log data is kept and available for analysis. Retention policies define the length of time that log data is stored and are typically based on compliance requirements or organizational needs.
6. Monitor logs in real-time
   It’s recommended to monitor logs in real-time to detect potential security incidents promptly. This can be done using Léargas Security, which can alert security teams when critical events occur.
7. Regularly review and analyze logs
   Regularly reviewing and analyzing logs can help identify potential security incidents that may have gone unnoticed. This can help security teams identify and address vulnerabilities and threats before they cause significant damage.

Log levels play a critical role in cybersecurity by providing information on the severity of an event or activity being logged. By using a consistent log level system, defining log levels based on severity, and regularly reviewing and analyzing logs, security teams can identify and address potential security incidents proactively. By monitoring logs in real-time and using automated tools, security teams can detect and respond to potential security incidents promptly, minimizing the impact of a security breach or data loss incident.

At Léargas Security, our goal is to work with our customers to determine their operational and regulatory needs, because it helps the organizations identify and manage security risks, comply with legal and regulatory requirements, establish effective security practices, and allocate resources effectively. By understanding their operational and regulatory needs, organizations can establish appropriate policies, procedures, and technical controls that mitigate risks and protect critical assets.

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