Who should be granted access to view audit trails?

Access to view audit trails should be granted only to individuals with a job-related need to ensure the confidentiality and integrity of sensitive information. This principle aligns with the concept of least privilege, where individuals are given the minimum level of access necessary to perform their job functions. By restricting access in this manner, organizations can mitigate the risk of unauthorized access or misuse of audit logs, which are crucial for monitoring and detecting security breaches or policy violations.

This selective access helps to maintain accountability and ensures that only trained personnel can analyze information contained within the audit trails. Those individuals are equipped to understand and react to the information, and their access is usually logged to track any such activity for compliance and forensic purposes.

In contrast, granting access to all employees could lead to extensive risks of information leakage, hinder accountability, and complicate compliance with security standards. Limiting access to supervisors may not be sufficient to fulfill operational needs, as not all supervisory roles require access to audit trails for their responsibilities. Access for external auditors, while necessary at times, should be controlled and not generalized, allowing them access only when necessary and supervised to protect sensitive data.