(also audit logging, audit trail)
An audit log refers to a chronological record that provides evidence of activity on your system within a certain period. Namely, audit logs document each event that happens on the software systems you use across your company, the time at which an event took place, who performed the activity, and who or what was impacted. You can use your audit logs to track user activity, investigate data breaches, ensure compliance with regulations, and detect suspicious activities.
Additionally, audit logs can be pretty helpful in identifying the responsible parties in case of a leak and discovering whether your systems work correctly. Also, you can use audit logs to examine corrupted files to see what caused their malfunction and potentially restore them to their original state. You can use the data you gather from audit logs to improve your systems, implement new security measures if needed, and reduce fraudulent activity in your network.
See also: data audit, event log