Audit trails

Audit trails are used to track computer activity. It has three main functions:

If someone has access to a section of a network in a company but he´s unauthorized to access other areas and attempts to access those areas by typing in passswords, this improper activity is recorded in the audit trail.

It is also used to record customer activity in e-commerce.The customer's initial contact is recorded in an audit trail as well as each subsequent action such as payment and delivery of the product or service. The customer's audit trail is then used to respond properly to any inquiries or complaints. A company might also use an audit trail to provide a basis for account reconciliation, to provide a historical report to plan and support budgets, and to provide a record of sales in case of a tax audit.

Audit trails are also used to investigate cybercrimes. In order for investigators to expose a hacker's identity, they can follow the trail the hacker left in cyberspace. Sometimes hackers unknowingly provide audit trails through their Internet service providers' activity logs or through chat room logs.