Currently, the technology landscape is managing all the activities across the industries. When managing your information technology system, logs are one of the most important assets you should always consider and enhance their well-being. They are known for uncovering diligence information that can help you discover any security threats and vulnerabilities within the system.
They also uncover issues likely to affect business performance, compliance, and many others. Most people rely on analyzing log data to discover security vulnerabilities within their businesses and find possible solutions to help them control the situation. When using any monitoring system within your business, you should ensure that all the systems involve the log management section.
The most important thing to consider is to ensure that all your logs are aggregated into a single entity that will enable you to access them easily. There is a bunch of practical information that many people fail to understand when they want to identify security vulnerabilities within their organizations. This article elaborates on how you can analyze large sets of log data to identify any possible security vulnerabilities. Let’s get started!
What is Log Data Analysis?
Log data analysis refers to the process of deciphering the log messages generated by a computer system. This process is also known as audit trail data, log events, or simply logs. The log analysis covers useful information that helps managers to understand what has been happening within the different parts of the organization. The data collected is used to improve performance within the information technology infrastructure and build a better working environment for employees.
Most organizations tend to evaluate log data proactively and reactively, helping them to manage risks, regulations, and cyber or physical security audits, and comply with all the security standards that have been put in place to guard the well-being of the business. A log is a large data file designed to record all the activities occurring within the operating system, devices, and software applications.
All the activities within the computer are recorded on the log file, which is later used to facilitate the smooth running of the organization. The activities are all timestamped to ensure that all the IT professionals and developers are capable of creating an audit trail in case the system fails. This helps to ensure that all the operations run smoothly even after the system breaks down.
Log data analysis can help business owners to point out any security vulnerabilities, such as cases of security breaches. It can also point out any instances of impending hardware by offering information about the system’s performance.
How Log Data Analysis Work
Log data is applied in different cases, such as devices, networks, and operating systems capable of generating logs. The logs are considered time-series records of actions that have occurred within a particular duration. These activities are mainly saved in databases or files, which are then used when making decisions going forward. When using this approach, you need to hire a log analyst who will help you analyze log files and uncover the important information you need.
A log analyst is responsible for bringing the right message into context and enhancing log data normalization, which aids in maintaining language consistency throughout the organization. This is a great approach to use when you want to eliminate confusion and inefficiencies within the job environment. The log data is collected from the log analysis program, which is mainly established to give direction and offer more information needed during data analysis.
The log data is collected, formatted, cleansed, normalized and then presented to the respective expert, who will take the next step. The experts use the data to dig deep into the company activities and detect any abnormalities and security-related activities that are likely to affect the smooth running of the organization. Below are the major steps that are taken when performing log file analysis.
Data Collection
Data collection is the first step that is taken by the log file analyst, who collects the data from the database and any other hardware or software locations within the computer system. This stage only involves the collection of raw data without digging deep into it.
Data Indexing
The data collected from different sources is then indexed to improve the searchability rate. Data indexing allows IT professionals to uncover any possible patterns and trends in the data.
Analysis
Data analysis involves normalization, correlation, and pattern recognition, among other activities specifically intended to extract insights manually or automatically. The method of data analysis types used depends on the nature of the data and the goal of the analysis.
Monitoring
Once any data anomalies are found within the collected log files, the alone analysis platform can send real-time notifications to issue an alert about the progress. Most IT professionals tend to rely on this stage to uncover information that they can use to improve business performance.
Reports
The log analysis platform you choose is responsible for creating real-time reports depending on the nature of the findings. The report incorporates the detailed information that the organization’s stakeholders require when making critical decisions that will propel the business to the next level.
Methods of Log Data Analysis
When analyzing your log data, there are different methods applied to uncover the information you require from your log files. Given that you are dealing with large sets of data, you will need to have an advanced system that will enable you to collect accurate information within the shortest time possible. It is difficult for IT professionals to manually monitor all the operations, considering the large sets of data that need processing.
You will need to implement more sophisticated log data management systems to help you get the job done. Some of the methods used include:
Correlation
Data analysts can aggregate log files from different sources to help them decode a certain event that cannot be observed within a single log. This approach can be applied during or before cyber-attacks, especially when the firewalls, servers, and other sources can uncover more information about the entire situation. Correlation works better when you want to disclose data that cannot be found within a single record.
Pattern Recognition
Modern technologies, such as machine learning, can be used to detect patterns and trends within log files. It can also record abnormalities in the data, especially when comparing the type of data concealed in an external list. This works well when filtering external and ordinary log entries. It allows the data analyst to focus on the entries that can reveal the problem.
Artificial Intelligence
This is one of the most advanced and developed mechanisms for analyzing log data files. Artificial intelligence is the ideal option if you are looking for an advanced system that can evaluate your data and automatically make the required changes. Artificial intelligence and machine learning work hand-in-hand to make data visualization easier and discover information that cannot be seen with other tools.
Bottom Line
Log data analysis is a detailed process that requires the implementation of different advanced tools to maneuver the process. The application of modern technology in this process aids in making the process faster and uncovering accurate information that can be used when making development decisions. It also has the capability to discover cases of security vulnerabilities within an organization and how they can be fixed going forward.
If you are looking for an effective way to enhance the security standards of your IT information and organization in general, log data has everything you need to move forward. By implementing the strategies outlined in this article, you can easily make significant changes in your organization and propel it to the next level.