Security audit logs as components of the IT system audit trail
In this document we review security audit logs and IT system audit trails in the new climate created by legislation enacted to improve corporate governance in the interests of shareholder protection.
Before particular instances of corporate reporting failure and the recent legislation that was enacted to prevent its recurrence, there was little in the way of IT system audit trails supported by robust security audit logs to be found on the IT systems on which enterprise applications were processed. Corporate officers were allowed wide freedom in the way internal checking procedures were implemented and there were no common standards. Now, however, following the legislation, both external auditors and corporate officers face harsh penalties and the consequences are that an IT system audit trail based on files comprising security audit logs are virtually obligatory on commercial systems.
Maintaining the IT system audit trail and the security audit logs with COSduty-SSA
Recent US and European legislation (Sarbanes-Oxley in the USA and similar European Directives) has made compliance a big issue for publicly listed companies – and some private companies who conduct business with the listed sector.
The essence of the legislation is to protect the integrity of the financial information provided to the public. This protection is difficult to demonstrate when privileged IT users, typically system administrators, have unlimited and un-audited access rights to critical IT systems. Where they exist, IT system audit teams are having to become more assiduous and their recommendations more detailed. Where they do not, teams must be established and build their knowledge base from security audit logs already installed on large systems as vestigial audit trails.
A software product of particular value in this area is COSduty-SSA whose use can limit the unrestricted freedoms of systems administrators and record their activity so as to prove IT services are making their full contribution to data integrity and compliance.
In addition, because of its low implementation costs and other technical advantages, COSduty-SSA can show a positive RoI, even when compliance issues are disregarded.
Some details of the functionality of COSduty-SSA
COSduty-SSA can ensure the use of privileged accounts is reduced to the absolute minimum by:
- encapsulating the majority of privileged routines in menu/forms driven procedures
- enforcing administrators to request privileged sessions on particular systems for particular periods of time
- allocating only that subset of commands required to carry out a requested function
- recording all activity and reporting on it
In summary, COSduty-SSA is an unusual product, but one whose scope is quickly becoming more widely acknowledged as the intricacies of the measures which are required to protect corporate officers from the possible consequences of corporate governance legislation are better understood. If this area is new to you and visualising the role of products such as COSduty-SSA remains difficult, please feel free to contact OSM for relevant information at all levels. Alternatively, re-enter the COSduty-SSA web site and help yourself.
OSM is the leading independent specialist supplier of E-DSM solutions for organizations who rely on a UNIX, Linux and Windows infrastructure. Our reputation is one of delivering solutions to problems of all complexities by means of our highly competent Professional Services team. One of the most distinct advantages of OSM's products is that they are founded on a technology which allows them to be easily tailored to suit the particular needs of demanding customers. When this ease of tailorability is combined with the technical strength of our Professional Services team, the result is a level of relevant functionality that competitive suppliers appear unable to attain. When the modest cost of the products is added to the equation, it is plain that the value for money provided by OSM is very hard to beat.