In today's digital era, organizations are increasingly vulnerable to cyber threats, making effective security logging and monitoring practices paramount. A recent study by the OWASP Foundation highlights that insufficient logging and monitoring are among the top security risks, allowing attackers to exploit systems undetected. owasp.org The absence of comprehensive audit trails and real-time monitoring mechanisms can lead to prolonged exposure to threats, data breaches, and significant operational and reputational damage. owaspsecure.com
Real-world incidents underscore the critical importance of robust logging and monitoring. The 2017 Equifax breach, for instance, exposed the personal data of approximately 148 million individuals. The attackers maintained access to Equifax's systems for several months, extracting data from 51 databases without detection. This breach was largely attributed to inadequate logging and monitoring practices, including the failure to renew a crucial SSL certificate and the absence of proper application logging. ionix.io Such incidents highlight the need for organizations to implement comprehensive logging and monitoring strategies to detect and respond to security incidents promptly.