An audit trail (also called audit log) is a security-relevant chronological record, set of records, and/or destination and source of records that provide documentary evidence of the sequence of activities that have affected at any time a specific operation, procedure, or event.[1][2] Audit records typically result from activities such as financial transactions,[3] scientific research and health care data transactions,[4] or communications by individual people, systems, accounts, or other entities.
The process that creates an audit
trail is typically required to always run in a privileged mode,
so it can access and supervise all actions from all users; a normal user should
not be allowed to stop/change it. Furthermore, for the same reason, trail file
or database
table with a trail should not be accessible to normal users. Another
way of handling this issue is through the use of a role-based security model in
the software.[5]
The software can operate with the closed-looped controls, or as a 'closed system,'
as required by many companies when using audit trail functionality.