What audit trails and logs are available for customer review? (user activity, admin actions, data access)
Explanation & Context
Explanation of the Question
This question is asking about the records and logs that your organization maintains, which can be reviewed by customers. Specifically, it wants to know what kind of audit trails and logs are available. These logs typically include details about user activity, administrative actions, and data access. The purpose of these logs is to provide a clear, traceable record of who did what, when, and on what data. This is crucial for maintaining accountability, ensuring compliance with regulations, and investigating any suspicious activities.
Why It Matters
Having detailed audit trails and logs is essential for several reasons. First, it helps in maintaining transparency with customers by showing them exactly what actions have been taken within their accounts. Second, it aids in compliance with various regulations that require detailed logging of user activities and data access. Finally, in the event of a security incident, these logs are invaluable for forensic analysis to determine the cause and scope of the incident. For example, if there's an unauthorized access attempt, the logs can help identify the source and the affected data, allowing for a swift response.
Example of Evidence
To demonstrate fulfillment of this question, you might provide documentation or a configuration report that details the types of logs collected, such as user login attempts, file access records, and administrative changes. You could also offer access to a log management system where these records are stored and reviewed. For instance, showing that your system logs every time a user accesses sensitive data, along with timestamps and user identifiers, would be a strong example of meeting this requirement.
Example Responses
Example Response 1
We utilize Heroku's built-in logging features to maintain audit trails for user activity, admin actions, and data access. These logs are accessible via the Heroku Dashboard and can be streamed to third-party log management services for further analysis and customer review.
Example Response 2
Our AWS environment is configured to capture detailed audit trails and logs for user activity, admin actions, and data access. These logs are stored in Amazon CloudWatch and are available for customer review through our customer portal, ensuring transparency and accountability.
Example Response 3
As our software is deployed on-premises and does not involve cloud-based user activity logging, the question regarding audit trails and logs for customer review is not directly applicable. However, we maintain comprehensive on-site logs for all administrative actions and data access, which are available for internal audit and compliance purposes.

