AU-7

AU-7 AUDIT REDUCTION AND REPORT GENERATION

Overview

Number	Title	Impact	Priority	Subject Area
AU-7	Audit Reduction And Report Generation	MODERATE	P2	Audit And Accountability

Instructions
The information system provides an audit reduction and report generation capability that: AU-7a. Supports on-demand audit review, analysis, and reporting requirements and after-the-fact investigations of security incidents; and AU-7b. Does not alter the original content or time ordering of audit records.

Guidance
Audit reduction is a process that manipulates collected audit information and organizes such information in a summary format that is more meaningful to analysts. Audit reduction and report generation capabilities do not always emanate from the same information system or from the same organizational entities conducting auditing activities. Audit reduction capability can include, for example, modern data mining techniques with advanced data filters to identify anomalous behavior in audit records. The report generation capability provided by the information system can generate customizable reports. Time ordering of audit records can be a significant issue if the granularity of the timestamp in the record is insufficient.

Guidance

Audit reduction is a process that manipulates collected audit information and organizes such information in a summary format that is more meaningful to analysts. Audit reduction and report generation capabilities do not always emanate from the same information system or from the same organizational entities conducting auditing activities. Audit reduction capability can include, for example, modern data mining techniques with advanced data filters to identify anomalous behavior in audit records. The report generation capability provided by the information system can generate customizable reports. Time ordering of audit records can be a significant issue if the granularity of the timestamp in the record is insufficient.

Enhancements

AU-7 (1) Automatic Processing

MODERATE

Events of interest can be identified by the content of specific audit record fields including, for example, identities of individuals, event types, event locations, event times, event dates, system resources involved, IP addresses involved, or information objects accessed. Organizations may define audit event criteria to any degree of granularity required, for example, locations selectable by general networking location (e.g., by network or subnetwork) or selectable by specific information system component.

The information system provides the capability to process audit records for events of interest based on Assignment: organization-defined audit fields within audit records.

AU-7 (2) Automatic Sort And Search

Sorting and searching of audit records may be based upon the contents of audit record fields, for example: (i) date/time of events; (ii) user identifiers; (iii) Internet Protocol (IP) addresses involved in the event; (iv) type of event; or (v) event success/failure.

The information system provides the capability to sort and search audit records for events of interest based on the content of Assignment: organization-defined audit fields within audit records.