Event Logs

Event Logs
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Event Logs
In a network, event logs capture a wide variety of information such as failed password attempts, login session periods or account lockouts. A record of event logs consists of stored data retrieved by the system automatically to help investigators or administrators manage various aspects of the network such as performance, security, and transparency (Techopedia, 2015). Event logs, therefore, make it possible to identify at what time the computer was used and who utilized it; this allows investigators to trace any malicious activities and possibly the person that committed the offense.
One of the biggest weaknesses of using event logs occurs as a result of impersonation. If a person uses the authentication details of another person and commits an offense, the wrong person might be accused of the crime. Another problem can arise from hacking. Hackers implement any method they can in conducting malicious activities. A network has several users, and this might be a disadvantage as the online criminals are provided with more entry points and can try to penetrate the system by cracking the login details of one of the users. In such as a case, authorized personnel might get wrongly accused of crimes they did not commit and might have a hard time proving their innocence.
The best method of overcoming these shortcomings is through keeping computer systems up to date to get rid of weaknesses that hackers might utilize to gain access. Also, the authorized users of the system should be provided with efficient log in methods.

Such methods significantly reduce the possibility of an impersonation taking place. One such technique is the two-step authentication. In this method, when login in, the user uses two different authentication factors for verification (Rouse, 2018). First, a person is prompted to enter their usual username and password. The individual then has to input additional information that is only accessible to them such as a code sent to the person’s cell phone.

References
Techopedia. (2015). What is an Event Log? Techopedia. Retrieved from https://www.techopedia.com/definition/25410/event-log-networkingRouse, M. (2018). Two-factor authentication (2FA). TechTarget. Retrieved from https://searchsecurity.techtarget.com/definition/two-factor-authentication