Monitoring critical logs is essential for detecting and responding to security incidents. As a SOC analyst, understanding which logs to track can significantly improve threat detection and incident response. Below are key logs to monitor and actionable steps to analyze them effectively.
Key Logs to Monitor
1. Windows Event Logs
- Security Logs: Track authentication attempts (success/failure), account changes, and privilege escalations.
Get-WinEvent -LogName Security -MaxEvents 50 | Format-Table -AutoSize
- System Logs: Monitor system errors, service failures, and unexpected shutdowns.
Get-WinEvent -LogName System | Where-Object { $_.Level -eq 2 }
2. Linux Audit Logs (`/var/log/audit/audit.log`)
- Track user commands, file access, and sudo attempts.
sudo ausearch -k -ts today
- Monitor failed login attempts:
sudo grep "FAILED LOGIN" /var/log/auth.log
3. Firewall & Network Logs
- Check blocked connections (Linux):
sudo iptables -L -n -v
- Windows firewall logs (Enable via
wf.msc).
4. Web Server Logs (`/var/log/apache2/access.log` or `/var/log/nginx/access.log`)
- Detect brute-force attacks:
sudo grep "POST /login" /var/log/apache2/access.log | awk '{print $1}' | sort | uniq -c | sort -nr
5. Endpoint Detection (EDR) Logs
- Check suspicious process execution:
Get-Process | Where-Object { $_.CPU -gt 90 }
You Should Know: Practical Commands & Steps
- Log Aggregation with `journalctl` (Linux):
journalctl --since "1 hour ago" --no-pager
Centralized Logging with
rsyslog:sudo apt install rsyslog sudo systemctl enable rsyslog
Detecting Anomalies with
fail2ban:sudo fail2ban-client status sshd
Windows Event Forwarding (WEF):
wecutil qc /q
SIEM Query (Example for Splunk):
index=windows EventCode=4625 | stats count by src_ip
What Undercode Say
Effective log monitoring requires a structured approach. SOC teams must prioritize logs based on risk and automate analysis where possible. Regular log reviews, combined with threat intelligence, enhance detection capabilities.
Expected Output:
- Alerts on brute-force attempts.
- Detection of unusual process execution.
- Timely incident response via centralized logging.
Prediction:
AI-driven log analysis will dominate SOC operations, reducing false positives and improving real-time threat detection.
(No additional URLs were provided in the original post.)
References:
Reported By: Dharamveer Prasad – Hackers Feeds
Extra Hub: Undercode MoN
Basic Verification: Pass ✅
