Audit logging in Elasticsearch - Cheat Sheet & Quick Revision

Recall & Review

beginner

What is audit logging in Elasticsearch?

Audit logging in Elasticsearch records security-related events like user access and changes to help track and review system activity.

beginner

Which Elasticsearch feature enables audit logging?

The Elasticsearch Security Audit Logging feature enables capturing detailed logs of security events such as authentication, authorization, and system changes.

intermediate

How do you enable audit logging in Elasticsearch?

You enable audit logging by setting 'xpack.security.audit.enabled: true' in the elasticsearch.yml configuration file.

intermediate

What types of events can Elasticsearch audit logging capture?

It can capture authentication attempts, access granted or denied, configuration changes, and system events related to security.

intermediate

Where are audit logs stored in Elasticsearch by default?

By default, audit logs are stored in the Elasticsearch logs directory as part of the main log files or can be configured to a separate file.

How do you enable audit logging in Elasticsearch?

A Set 'xpack.security.audit.enabled: true' in elasticsearch.yml

B Install a separate audit plugin

C Enable audit in Kibana settings

D Run 'audit-enable' command in terminal

Audit logging is enabled by setting 'xpack.security.audit.enabled: true' in the elasticsearch.yml file.

What kind of events does Elasticsearch audit logging NOT capture by default?

A User authentication attempts

B Access granted or denied

C Application error logs

D System security configuration changes

Audit logging focuses on security events, not general application error logs.

Where are audit logs typically stored in Elasticsearch?

A In the Elasticsearch logs directory

B In a separate database

C Only in Kibana dashboards

D In the system's /tmp folder

Audit logs are stored in the Elasticsearch logs directory by default.

Which Elasticsearch component is responsible for audit logging?

A Beats

B Logstash

C Kibana

D X-Pack Security

X-Pack Security includes the audit logging feature in Elasticsearch.

Why is audit logging important in Elasticsearch?

A To improve search speed

B To track security events and user actions

C To backup data automatically

D To monitor CPU usage

Audit logging helps track security events and user actions for compliance and troubleshooting.

Explain how to enable and configure audit logging in Elasticsearch.

Think about the configuration file and what events you want to track.

Describe the benefits of using audit logging in Elasticsearch.

Consider why knowing who did what and when is useful.

Practice

1. What is the main purpose of audit logging in Elasticsearch?

easy

A. To record user actions and security events

B. To improve search speed

C. To backup data automatically

D. To monitor cluster health

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand audit logging function

   Audit logging tracks what users do and records security-related events.

2. Step 2: Compare with other options

   Improving search speed, backing up data, or monitoring cluster health are different Elasticsearch features.

3. Final Answer:

   To record user actions and security events -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Audit logging = record user actions [OK]

Hint: Audit logging tracks user and security events only [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Confusing audit logging with backup or monitoring
• Thinking it speeds up search queries
• Assuming it manages cluster health

2. Which setting enables audit logging in Elasticsearch's configuration file?

easy

A. security.audit.log: on

B. xpack.security.audit.enabled: true

C. audit.logging.enabled: yes

D. xpack.audit.security: enabled

Solution

1. Step 1: Identify correct setting syntax

   The official setting to enable audit logging is xpack.security.audit.enabled set to true.

2. Step 2: Check other options for correctness

   Other options use incorrect keys or values not recognized by Elasticsearch.

3. Final Answer:

   xpack.security.audit.enabled: true -> Option B

4. Quick Check:

   Enable audit logging = xpack.security.audit.enabled true [OK]

Hint: Look for 'xpack.security.audit.enabled' set to true [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using incorrect key names
• Using 'yes' or 'on' instead of true
• Mixing audit and security keys

3. Given this audit logging config snippet:

 xpack.security.audit.enabled: true
 xpack.security.audit.outputs: ["logfile", "index"] 

What does this configuration do?

medium

A. Enables audit logging and sends data to log files and Elasticsearch index

B. Disables audit logging but logs to file

C. Enables audit logging but only logs to console

D. Enables audit logging but stores data only in memory

Solution

1. Step 1: Analyze 'enabled' setting

   Setting xpack.security.audit.enabled: true turns audit logging on.

2. Step 2: Analyze 'outputs' setting

   Outputs set to ["logfile", "index"] means audit data is saved to log files and Elasticsearch indexes.

3. Final Answer:

   Enables audit logging and sends data to log files and Elasticsearch index -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Enabled + logfile and index outputs = Enables audit logging and sends data to log files and Elasticsearch index [OK]

Hint: Enabled true + outputs list means multiple destinations [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Assuming logging is disabled
• Thinking output is only console
• Ignoring multiple output destinations

4. You enabled audit logging with xpack.security.audit.enabled: true but see no audit logs. What is a likely cause?

medium

A. User permissions prevent audit logging

B. Elasticsearch cluster is offline

C. Audit logging requires a restart of Kibana

D. Audit outputs are not configured, so logs have no destination

Solution

1. Step 1: Check audit logging enablement

   Audit logging is enabled, so it should produce logs if outputs are set.

2. Step 2: Verify output configuration

   If xpack.security.audit.outputs is missing or empty, logs have nowhere to go, so no logs appear.

3. Final Answer:

   Audit outputs are not configured, so logs have no destination -> Option D

4. Quick Check:

   Enabled but no outputs = no logs [OK]

Hint: Check audit outputs setting if no logs appear [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Assuming cluster offline without checking
• Restarting Kibana instead of Elasticsearch
• Blaming user permissions without audit config check

5. You want to audit only authentication events and store them in a dedicated Elasticsearch index. Which configuration snippet achieves this?

hard

A. xpack.security.audit.enabled: true
xpack.security.audit.outputs: ["index", "logfile"]
xpack.security.audit.categories: ["access_denied"]

B. xpack.security.audit.enabled: true
xpack.security.audit.outputs: ["logfile"]
xpack.security.audit.categories: ["access_granted"]

C. xpack.security.audit.enabled: true
xpack.security.audit.outputs: ["index"]
xpack.security.audit.categories: ["authentication"]

D. xpack.security.audit.enabled: false
xpack.security.audit.outputs: ["index"]
xpack.security.audit.categories: ["authentication"]

Solution

1. Step 1: Enable audit logging

   Set xpack.security.audit.enabled: true to turn on audit logging.

2. Step 2: Set output to Elasticsearch index only

   Use xpack.security.audit.outputs: ["index"] to store logs in an index.

3. Step 3: Filter to authentication events

   Set xpack.security.audit.categories: ["authentication"] to audit only authentication events.

4. Final Answer:

   Enable audit, output to index, filter authentication events -> Option C

5. Quick Check:

   Enable + index output + authentication category = xpack.security.audit.enabled: true xpack.security.audit.outputs: ["index"] xpack.security.audit.categories: ["authentication"] [OK]

Hint: Enable true + output index + category authentication [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Disabling audit logging by mistake
• Choosing wrong categories like access_granted
• Using logfile output instead of index only