(ISC)2 Certified in Cybersecurity Practice Exam

What term describes the practice of collecting and preserving user activities in a systematic record within an organization's systems?

1. Monitoring

2. Logging

3. Recording

4. Auditing

The correct answer is: Logging

The practice of collecting and preserving user activities in a systematic record within an organization's systems is accurately described by the term "logging." Logging involves the automatic recording of events, transactions, and activities that take place within a system or application. This historical record is essential for various purposes, such as security analysis, compliance monitoring, troubleshooting, and forensic investigations. Logs contain detailed information about user actions, system events, errors, and other significant occurrences, which can subsequently be analyzed to identify patterns, detect anomalies, and assess overall system health. The comprehensive nature of logging allows organizations to maintain an accurate and complete audit trail, essential for accountability and security measures. While monitoring involves observing and tracking activities in real-time, logging specifically refers to the systematic recording aspect. Recording, in a general sense, can imply capturing various types of data, but it may lack the structured approach implied by logging. Auditing, on the other hand, refers to the process of reviewing and examining records and practices for compliance and integrity, which would rely on logs as a source of information but does not encompass the record-keeping aspect itself. Thus, logging is the most precise term in this context.