Log Correlation
The process of linking and analyzing logs from different sources to detect threats.
Understanding Log Correlation
Modern IT environments generate massive volumes of logs from various sources, including firewalls, servers, applications, network devices, and security tools. Log correlation enables organizations to make sense of this data by connecting related events and providing contextual insights into potential threats or system failures.
How Log Correlation Works
Log Collection
Logs are gathered from multiple sources, including firewalls, IDS/IPS, servers, databases, and cloud services.
Normalization & Parsing
Raw logs are structured into a standardized format to allow easy comparison.
Correlation Rules & Analysis
Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) solutions apply predefined rules or machine learning to connect related events.
Threat Detection & Alerting
If correlated logs indicate a threat, alerts are generated for security teams to take action.
Incident Investigation & Response
Analysts review correlated logs to understand the full attack chain and mitigate risks.
Challenges and Considerations
High Volume of Logs – Managing and analyzing large amounts of log data requires scalable solutions.
False Positives & Alert Fatigue – Poorly tuned rules can result in too many alerts, overwhelming security teams.
Complexity of Log Correlation – Requires expertise to configure rules, filters, and analysis techniques.
Storage and Retention Costs – Storing historical logs for compliance and investigations can be expensive.