Abstract:
In previous work, we have warned of the dangers to cloud security and privacy of failing to understand the part that audit can play in helping to achieve this goal. In this work, we address the humble audit trail, and in particular consider how a consistent lack of understanding of what it is, and the important role it plays, can affect the success, or otherwise, of achieving a good standard of cloud security and privacy. We demonstrate how a poor understanding of what the audit trail is, and how it can be properly used, can lead to real weaknesses in cloud systems.