By Trifork Security | 899 words | Read time: 5 minutes
Today’s evolving cybersecurity landscape demands proactive security measures, especially with the NIS2 deadline approaching. As cyber threats grow in sophistication, effective logging becomes a cornerstone of both proactive defense and NIS2 compliance.
NIS2
The NIS2 Directive is an EU legislation aimed at strengthening cybersecurity across the EU. Building upon the NIS Directive (Directive on security of network and information) from 2016,ย the key objectives of NIS2 are to ensure a higher common level of cybersecurity across EU member states, to improve resilience of critical infrastructures against cyber threats, and to establish consistent rules for incident reporting and risk management.ย
NIS2 includes essential and important entities, such as organizations in the energy, transport, and health sectors, in waste management and digital providers.
Although NIS2 allows for some flexibility in how member states implement the directive, the core principles remain consistent, and there are several measures that all covered entities must put into practice. These cybersecurity risk management measures include basic cyber hygiene practices and cybersecurity training for all employees, detailed requirements for incident handling policy, for business continuity and crisis management, and supply chain security measures.
In other words, organizations must implement appropriate technical and organizational measures to protect their IT systems and data. Besides physical security, network security, access rights management and other technical measures, this includes having a robust logging and monitoring system in place.
NIS2 and logging
Given the emphasis NIS2 places on understanding and responding to security events, a fundamental aspect of compliance is effective logging. But what exactly is logging, and why is it so important in this context?
Simply put, logging is the process of recording events and activities that occur within your IT infrastructure, creating a detailed history of what happened, when it happened and who was involved. These records are stored in files appropriately called โlogsโ, which can be incredibly valuable for security investigations, troubleshooting and are a requirement for meeting compliance.
Logging provides several benefits, such as effective troubleshooting, performance optimization and detecting security issues. The Danish national IT security authority, Centre for Cyber Security (CFCS), highlights several reasons as to why logging should be a top priority, such as
- First, logging is fundamental to cyberattack investigations; often, investigations are impossible without it.
- Next, logging is essential for determining the scope of a cyberattack, preventing costly network rebuilds by enabling targeted remediation of the compromised components.
- Lastly, the lack of logging leads to longer investigations and downtime, which again costs money and disrupts operations.[1]
Collecting data about security incidents or other relevant operational events will be essential for meeting NIS2 compliance, as covered entities will be obligated to report incidents, and will be subject to security audits and other supervisory measures.
Also, NIS2 requires essential entities to continuously evaluate detected cybersecurity events, meaning that these organizations must collect, search and correlate information to detect and evaluate incidents.
However, effectively managing and analyzing these logs can be a complex undertaking, especially with the increasing volume of data generated by modern IT systems. Addressing these complexities requires robust tools and expertise, which is where solutions like LogOne come into play.
LogOne
LogOne is a comprehensive logging and monitoring solution, developed by Trifork Security. Built on Splunk, LogOne is an enterprise-platform that provides real-time analysis, intuitive visualization, and has automated reporting capabilities โ a strong foundation for detecting and managing cyberattacks and IT challenges and thus can help meet the requirements of NIS2.
LogOne provides:
Control and compliance
Control and compliance are now more relevant than ever, as NIS2 demands strict accountability and traceability โ using log management platforms can reduce risks associated with non-compliance, and facilitate smoother audits.
LogOne facilitates the definition and enforcement of logging policies, allowing you to specify what data is collected, how it is stored, and who has access. With LogOne, you can also generate pre-configured compliance reports that focus on NIS2 requirements.
Proactive threat detection
Do not wait for a security breach to reveal vulnerabilities. Proactive threat monitoring capabilities allow you to identify and mitigate potential threats before they escalate. By continuously monitoring log data, LogOne provides real-time alerts, enabling swift incident response. This proactive approach is crucial in the context of NIS2, where rapid detection and response are extremely important.
Secure data handling
Secure data handling is non-negotiable. LogOne prioritizes the integrity and confidentiality of your log data. We understand the importance of protecting sensitive information from unauthorized access and tampering. LogOne ensures that your log data is stored securely, both in transit and at rest, mitigating the risk of data breaches. In addition, LogOne is on-premise in our datacenters, ensuring all of your data stays in Denmark.
Analytics and visualization tools
Raw log data can be overwhelming. LogOne transforms this data into actionable insights through powerful analytics and visualization tools. The intuitive dashboards provide a clear, real-time overview of your security posture, enabling you to quickly identify trends and anomalies. These capabilities are essential for understanding your security environment, identifying potential vulnerabilities and making informed decisions.
Expert knowledge and support
Navigating the current cyber environment, and the complex requirements of NIS2 requires expert guidance. LogOne is backed by a team of cybersecurity professionals who have deep knowledge of logging best practices and regulatory requirements. We provide help designing and implementing the optimal log management solution for you, we take care of the operation and maintenance of your log management platform and we can deliver and support log management solutions that run locally at your location.
[1] Center for Cybersikkerhed. (October 2021). Investigation Report: No Logs – No Crime, The importance of logging as a key element in investigation of and protection against cyber threats. Located at: https://www.cfcs.dk/globalassets/cfcs/dokumenter/rapporter/en/cfcs-no-logs-no-crime.pdf