Audit Logging in Elasticsearch

Introduction

Audit logging is a crucial aspect of security in Elasticsearch. It helps track and record actions performed on the Elasticsearch cluster, enabling administrators to monitor access and changes to the system. This guide will take you through the process of setting up and configuring audit logging in Elasticsearch.

Prerequisites

Before you begin, ensure you have the following:

• An Elasticsearch cluster up and running.
• Administrative access to the Elasticsearch configuration files.
• Basic understanding of Elasticsearch and its security features.

Enabling Audit Logging

To enable audit logging, you need to configure the Elasticsearch security settings. This can be done by editing the elasticsearch.yml file.

# Enable audit logging
xpack.security.audit.enabled: true

# Configure the output format and location
xpack.security.audit.outputs: [ index, logfile ]

# Define the events to be logged
xpack.security.audit.logfile.events.include: [ authentication_success, authentication_failed, access_granted, access_denied ]

# Set the log file path
xpack.security.audit.logfile.prefix: audit_log
xpack.security.audit.logfile.events.emit_request_body: true
                

After making these changes, restart the Elasticsearch service to apply the new settings.

Understanding Audit Events

Elasticsearch audit logging captures various events, which can be categorized as follows:

• authentication_success: Successful authentication attempts.
• authentication_failed: Failed authentication attempts.
• access_granted: Access requests that are granted.
• access_denied: Access requests that are denied.

You can customize which events to log by modifying the xpack.security.audit.logfile.events.include setting in the configuration file.

Viewing Audit Logs

Audit logs can be stored in different outputs, such as index or logfile. If you chose to log events to a file, you can view the logs in the specified log file path. For example:

[2023-10-15T12:34:56,789] [authentication_success] [user: admin] [realm: native] [request: login] [action: login_attempt] [host: 192.168.1.1]
                

Analyzing Audit Logs

Audit logs can be ingested into Elasticsearch for further analysis. If you configured the output to be an index, you can easily search and analyze the logs using Kibana or Elasticsearch queries.

GET /audit_log/_search
{
  "query": {
    "match": {
      "event.type": "authentication_success"
    }
  }
}
                

Conclusion

Audit logging is an essential part of securing your Elasticsearch cluster. By enabling and configuring audit logs, you can monitor and review actions performed on your system, ensuring compliance and enhancing security. Follow the steps outlined in this guide to set up audit logging and customize it according to your needs.