AU-8 Time Stamps
Control: Provide time stamps for use in audit record generation.
Illustrative Controls and TIBCO LogLogic Solution
As the global marketplace has grown more reliant on the Internet and network computing, the importance of Network Time Protocol, or NTP, has grown as well. The Network Time Protocol is widely used on the Internet to synchronize computer clocks to national standard time.
Without adequate NTP synchronization, organizations cannot expect their network and applications to function properly. Log files are of no use in the event of a network security breach or any other incident that requires log-dependent information. Web servers, mail servers, and other devices that use log files, cronjobs, and similar tasks must be timed accurately with precision to within 1/100 of a second.
In this digital age of instantaneous communication and sales transactions, a failed corporate network can quickly lead to loss of credibility with customers and loss of profitability. To satisfy this control, administrators must ensure that all servers and devices on the IT infrastructure are configured to use NTP for clock synchronization.