Linux AuditD logging Vs Legacy Var/log/* (2024)

FAQs

What is the difference between auditd and syslog? ›

Auditd is a userspace component interacting with kernel auditing subsystem. And that subsystem is meant for auditing. Normal syslog/journald logging is meant for "general logging", which might also include security related events from various parts of the operating system.

Difference between audit logs and regular system logs

While both audit logs and system logs record events and actions, they serve distinct purposes: Audit Logs capture who did what, where, and when. They are primarily used for compliance, security, and computer forensic investigations.

The auditd daemon collects events from the kernel component and writes them to a log file. The audisp dispatcher daemon relays events to other applications for additional processing.

/var/log/audit/audit. log. This file is the default log file for the Linux audit daemon. It has all related audit events and is configured using the configuration file of auditd (auditd.

Types of Audit Logs

Application Audit Logs: These logs capture events and activities performed by applications, including database queries, transactions, and file operations. Network Audit Logs: These logs capture network events and activities, including network traffic, firewall activity, and access control lists.

auditd is akin to a black box in an airplane; it allows a system administrator to log different system events such as executed commands, system calls, file access information and network statistics.

There are various kinds of logs, including event logs, server logs, and system logs (or syslogs). Each log type stores different information, which can be organized systematically or semi-systematically based on its purpose. Web logs contain data regarding traffic to a website, such as IP addresses and URLs.

Let us discuss the disadvantages of audit trail database through the points below. The data logs can be heavy, which leads to an increase in storage costs. It sometimes gets difficult to strike a balance between data protection and operational performance.

Whereas regular system logs are designed to help developers troubleshoot errors, audit logs help organizations document a historical record of activity for compliance purposes and other business policy enforcement.

In general, you will want to keep both, though they may seem to be the same type of program, they don't work the same way, rsyslog can be used locally and remotely to log and works through internet and unix sockets, auditd has configured rules that are run on startup and loaded into the kernel.

How to understand audit logs in Linux? ›

aulast searches back through the audit logs (or the given audit log file) and displays a list of all users logged in and out based on the range of time in the audit logs. Prints the last login for all users of a machine similar to the way lastlog does. The login name, port, and last login time will be printed.

pauditd is an alternative to the auditd daemon that ships with many distros.

Audit logs track user activity, assist in troubleshooting, verify system security, and ensure compliance with regulatory requirements. They are essentially a form of evidence providing details about when, where, and by whom a specific action was carried out inside a system.

Linux has a special directory for storing logs called /var/log . This directory contains logs from the OS itself, services, and various applications running on the system.

Syslog and journald log formats

Traditionally, the syslog format is stored in plaintext logs, which are easily read and analyzed. This format has advantages and disadvantages, as does journald, which stores logs in a binary format that are readable by the journalctl command.

In general, you will want to keep both, though they may seem to be the same type of program, they don't work the same way, rsyslog can be used locally and remotely to log and works through internet and unix sockets, auditd has configured rules that are run on startup and loaded into the kernel.

Transaction Log - captures all changes to data caused by end users, rules or processes. Audit Log - captures changes to metadata, security, logon information and other system activity detail.