CCS362 SECURITY AND PRIVACY IN CLOUD

CASE STUDY

NAME : DHARSHINI S.
REG NO : 210622244004.
SUBJECT : SECURITY & PRIVACY IN CLOUD.
SUBJECT CODE : CCS362.
DEPARTMENT : B.TECH-CSBS.
YEAR/SEM : 3RD YEAR/6TH SEM.

FACULTY SIGNATURE:
Case Study: Ensuring Tamper-Proofing of Audit Logs in a Financial
Institution
Background:

A large financial institution, FinSecure Bank, is committed to ensuring the integrity and
security of its IT infrastructure. As part of its regulatory compliance requirements and
internal security policies, the bank needs to maintain detailed and immutable audit logs for
all transactions, access events, and security-related activities across its systems. These logs
are critical for monitoring, forensics, and detecting any unauthorized access or fraudulent
activities.

Audit logs, however, are susceptible to tampering, unauthorized modification, or deletion by

malicious insiders or external attackers, which could undermine the bank’s ability to detect
security breaches, comply with regulations like SOX (Sarbanes-Oxley Act) and PCI DSS
(Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard), and protect customer data.

In light of these challenges, FinSecure Bank embarked on a project to ensure the

tamperproofing of its audit logs, taking a comprehensive approach to make sure that logs
remain immutable, secure, and traceable, while providing a robust auditing trail for forensic
analysis.

Key Objectives:

1. Prevent unauthorized modification or deletion of audit logs.

2. Ensure compliance with regulatory frameworks and industry standards.
3. Maintain the integrity of logs for detecting and investigating security incidents.
4. Enhance accountability and transparency within the organization.

Techniques and Practices Employed to Ensure Tamper-Proofing of Audit Logs:

To achieve tamper-proof audit logs, the financial institution implemented several advanced
techniques and best practices. These were organized into the following core areas: log
management, access control, encryption, redundancy, and monitoring.

1. Centralized Log Management System

One of the first steps taken was the deployment of a centralized logging system, where all
logs from servers, network devices, databases, applications, and security devices were
aggregated into a single, secure repository. This system used Security Information and
Event Management (SIEM) solutions, which provided automated log collection,
normalization, and analysis.

Key Features of the System:

• Log Aggregation: By centralizing logs from different systems, FinSecure Bank

ensured that logs couldn’t be tampered with on individual devices.

• Immutable Storage: The SIEM system was configured to automatically forward logs
to a write-once, read-many (WORM) storage, ensuring that once logs are written,
they cannot be modified or deleted.

2. Use of Blockchain Technology for Immutable Logs

To further strengthen the integrity of the logs, the bank integrated blockchain technology
into its auditing process. The blockchain offered a decentralized and tamper-resistant method
of storing audit logs. Every log entry was hashed and linked to the previous one, creating a
chain that was impossible to alter without detection.

Implementation Process:

• Hashing and Blockchain: Each event recorded in the log was hashed and stored on a
blockchain ledger. The hash function ensured that if any log data were tampered with,
the hash would no longer match, immediately triggering an alert.
• Decentralization: The blockchain maintained a distributed record of logs across
multiple nodes, so even if an attacker managed to access one node, they wouldn’t be
able to alter the entire set of logs without leaving a clear trail.

3. Strong Access Controls and Authentication

Ensuring that only authorized personnel can access or manage audit logs was another critical
part of the strategy. Role-based access control (RBAC) and multi-factor authentication
(MFA) were implemented across all systems handling sensitive logs.

Specific Measures:

• Role-based Access Control (RBAC): Only system administrators, compliance

officers, and specific security personnel were granted access to audit logs. Each role
had fine-grained permissions based on the least privilege principle.
• Multi-factor Authentication (MFA): Access to systems that stored or managed logs
required multi-factor authentication to prevent unauthorized access by external or
internal attackers.
• Audit Trails of Access: Even access to the audit logs themselves was logged, creating
a secondary layer of logging. If someone were to try to access logs, this event was
recorded and tied back to the individual user or system.
4. Log Encryption (At Rest and In Transit)

All audit logs, whether in transit between systems or stored in storage, were encrypted using
strong encryption standards, such as AES-256. This ensured that even if logs were
intercepted during transmission or accessed by unauthorized users, they would remain
unreadable without the decryption key.

Encryption Implementation:

• At Rest: All stored logs were encrypted with industry-standard encryption protocols.
This made sure that physical or virtual access to log files would not expose sensitive
information.
• In Transit: When logs were being transmitted between systems or to the centralized
logging solution, they were encrypted using TLS (Transport Layer Security) to
protect against eavesdropping or man-in-the-middle attacks.

5. Regular Backups and Redundancy

To safeguard against accidental loss or tampering with logs, regular backups were taken and
stored in multiple locations. These backups were also encrypted and maintained in secure
offsite locations.

Backup Strategy:

• Multiple Redundant Locations: Logs were backed up regularly to both on-premises

and cloud storage. This ensured that in case of a physical breach or disaster at one
location, the logs would remain intact and available for forensic analysis from another
secure location.
• Backup Integrity Checks: The bank also implemented checksum validation for
backup logs, periodically verifying the integrity of backup copies and ensuring they
had not been altered.

6. Real-time Monitoring and Alerts

To detect any unusual behavior or tampering attempts, the bank set up continuous real-time
monitoring of audit logs. The SIEM system was configured to detect signs of suspicious
activity, such as:

• Unusual login times

• Multiple failed authentication attempts
• Modification or deletion of log entries
• Unexpected access to critical systems

The monitoring system would trigger alerts to security personnel, who could immediately
investigate and mitigate any potential threats.
Alerting Mechanism:

• Automated Incident Response: In some cases, the system was configured to

automatically take actions, such as blocking IP addresses or isolating affected
systems, in response to tampering attempts.
• Real-time Dashboards: The security team had access to real-time dashboards that
provided an overview of the status of logs, any detected anomalies, and ongoing
investigations.

Results:

After the implementation of these tamper-proofing measures, FinSecure Bank achieved the
following results:

• Improved Security Posture: With encrypted, tamper-resistant logs, the bank reduced
the risk of insider threats or malicious actors modifying or deleting critical logs.
• Regulatory Compliance: The institution successfully met its compliance
requirements under SOX and PCI DSS, which mandate the protection of audit logs
from unauthorized alteration.
• Quick Incident Response: Real-time alerts and continuous monitoring allowed for
faster detection of suspicious activity, resulting in more timely and effective responses
to potential breaches or fraud attempts.
• Increased Trust and Accountability: The bank’s customers and regulatory bodies
trusted that the bank had robust mechanisms in place to prevent unauthorized
tampering with sensitive financial data.

Conclusion:

Ensuring the tamper-proofing of audit logs is crucial for maintaining security, compliance,
and trust in organizations, especially in industries dealing with sensitive information such as
financial services. By adopting a combination of centralized log management, blockchain
technology, encryption, strong access control, redundancy, and real-time monitoring,
FinSecure Bank was able to secure its audit logs against tampering and meet regulatory
requirements, enhancing both security and customer confidence.