Event Logs

What are the common, native Operating System and Application Event Logs used by DFIR Analysts when performing incident investigations?

A question that is typically raised during and post breach investigation is what event logs should be monitored, collected or enabled. The below list aims to provide a cheat sheet of sorts to highlight the common logs that contain forensic evidence and that often can be ingested into a central point, such as a SIEM, to provide contextual information for alerting.

Windows Event Logging

Windows event logs are a useful tool in incident response and digital forensics because they provide a record of events that have occurred on a system. These events can include system-level events such as startup and shutdown, as well as application and service-level events. Examining these logs can help identify potential security incidents, troubleshoot issues, and provide evidence for forensic investigations.

Log File	File Path	Description
Security	%SystemRoot%\System32\Winevt\Logs\Security.evtx	Contains information about security-related events, such as successful and failed login attempts, access to sensitive resources, and changes to security settings.
Application	%SystemRoot%\System32\Winevt\Logs\Application.evtx	Contains information about events related to applications, such as errors and warnings.
System	%SystemRoot%\System32\Winevt\Logs\System.evtx	Contains information about events related to the operating system, such as hardware and software failures, resource utilization, and system updates.
DNS Server	%SystemRoot%\System32\Dns\Dns.log	Contains information about Domain Name System (DNS) activity, such as requests and responses.
File Replication Service	%SystemRoot%\debug\Frs\FrsDiag.log	Contains information about the File Replication Service (FRS), which is used to replicate files and folders between domain controllers.
Internet Information Services (IIS)	%SystemRoot%\System32\LogFiles\W3SVC1\	Contains information about web server activity, such as requests, responses, and errors. This folder contains multiple log files, including an exYYMMDD.log file for each day, a u_exYYMMDD.log file for each day that contains log data in a different format, and a W3SVC1 folder that contains additional log files.
PowerShell	%SystemRoot%\System32\Winevt\Logs\Windows PowerShell.evtx	Contains information about PowerShell activity, such as script execution and cmdlet usage.
Windows PowerShell Operational	%SystemRoot%\System32\Winevt\Logs\Microsoft-Windows-PowerShell%4Operational.evtx	Contains information about the operational state of PowerShell, such as start and stop events and errors.
Remote Desktop Services	%SystemRoot%\System32\Winevt\Logs\Microsoft-Windows-TerminalServices-LocalSessionManager%4Operational.evtx	Contains information about Remote Desktop Services activity, including Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) connections and disconnections.
Windows Management Instrumentation	%SystemRoot%\System32\Winevt\Logs\Microsoft-Windows-WMI-Activity%4Operational.evtx	Contains information about WMI activity, including WMI queries and method calls.
Windows Management Instrumentation Provider Operations	%SystemRoot%\System32\Winevt\Logs\Microsoft-Windows-WMI-Operational.evtx	Contains information about the operational state of WMI providers, including start and stop events and errors.
Windows Defender log	C:\Windows\System32\Winevt\Logs\Microsoft-Windows-Windows Defender%4Operational.evtx	Contains events related to the Windows Defender antivirus software.

Unix/Linux Event Logging

Linux event logs are a useful tool in incident response and digital forensics because they provide a record of events that have occurred on a system. These events can include system-level events such as startup and shutdown, as well as application and service-level events. Examining these logs can help identify potential security incidents, troubleshoot issues, and provide evidence for forensic investigations.

Log File	Location	Description
Syslog Messages	Debian /var/log/syslog Redhat /var/log/messages	General messages and info regarding system operations. Predominately an administrative focused log
Auth.log Secure	Debian /var/log/auth.log Redhat /var/log/secure	Authentication logs containing successful and failed logins. sshd process logs are also written here
Boot.log	Debian /var/log/boot.log Redhat /var/log/messages	Contains information about the system's boot process, including details on system initialization tasks, service startup, hardware detection, and kernel messages.

MacOS Event Logging

MacOS event logs are a useful tool in incident response and digital forensics because they provide a record of events that have occurred on a system. These events can include system-level events such as startup and shutdown, as well as application and service-level events. Examining these logs can help identify potential security incidents, troubleshoot issues, and provide evidence for forensic investigations.

Log File	File Path	Description
System log	/private/var/log/system.log	Contains events related to system components such as drivers, the kernel, and the startup process.
Secure log	/private/var/log/secure.log	Contains events related to security-related activities such as login and logout events, as well as successful and failed attempts to access resources.
Application Firewall log	/private/var/log/appfirewall.log	Contains events related to applications and services running on the system, including events related to the macOS firewall.
Setup log	/private/var/log/install.log	Contains events related to the installation, removal, and update of software on the system.
Safari log	/private/var/log/safari/Safari.log	Contains events related to the Safari browser.
MacOS Server log	/Library/Logs/DiagnosticReports	Contains events related to MacOS Server.

Resources

1. Microsoft documentation on Windows event logs

2. SANS Institute's guide on using Windows event logs in incident response

3. Digital Forensics Solutions' blog post on using Windows event logs in forensic investigations

4. Tripwire's blog post on using Windows event logs to detect security breaches

5. TechNet's guide on using the Event Viewer utility in Windows

6. Digital Forensics Solutions' blog post on using Linux logs in forensic investigations

7. SANS Institute's guide on using Linux logs in incident response

8. Plesk - Linux Logs Explained

9. Forensic Focus - A Linux Forensics Starter Case Study

10. Apple's documentation on MacOS logs

11. TechRepublic's tutorial on using the Console application in MacOS