Monitoring and Auditing - OWASP Top 10

2.1 Definitions

• Monitoring: The continuous assessment of system performance and security.
• Auditing: The process of evaluating and examining the logs and activities to ensure compliance with security policies.

2.2 Importance

Effective monitoring and auditing can:

• Detect unauthorized access attempts.
• Identify vulnerabilities in the application.
• Ensure compliance with legal and regulatory requirements.

3.1 Setting Up Monitoring

1. Identify critical assets and data.
2. Define what events need to be logged (e.g., login attempts, data access).
3. Choose a logging framework (e.g., Log4j, Serilog).
4. Implement logging in the application code.
5. Set up alerting mechanisms for suspicious activities.
6. Regularly review logs and audit findings.

3.2 Example Code

using Microsoft.Extensions.Logging;

public class UserService
{
    private readonly ILogger _logger;

    public UserService(ILogger logger)
    {
        _logger = logger;
    }

    public void Login(string username, string password)
    {
        _logger.LogInformation($"User {username} attempting to log in.");
        // Authentication logic here
    }
}

4.1 General Guidelines

• Ensure logs are immutable and securely stored.
• Implement proper log retention policies.
• Regularly conduct audits to review log data.
• Integrate monitoring tools with incident response systems.

4.2 Compliance Considerations

Be aware of legal requirements such as GDPR or HIPAA that may dictate logging policies.