What is a common purpose of audit logs in network security?

Audit logs serve a fundamental purpose in network security by providing a detailed record of user access and changes made within the system. These logs help organizations enhance security measures by allowing administrators to track who accessed what resources and when, as well as what changes were made during those sessions.

This tracking is critical in identifying potential security incidents such as unauthorized access attempts, policy violations, or modifications to sensitive information. By maintaining comprehensive audit logs, organizations can conduct forensic investigations after a security breach and ensure compliance with various regulatory requirements. This visibility is essential not only for protecting the network but also for maintaining accountability among users.

In contrast, storing encryption keys pertains to data confidentiality and is not the primary role of audit logs. Monitoring network traffic focuses on performance and security analysis but does not directly involve logging user actions. Analyzing device performance is relevant to network management but does not relate to the security objectives that audit logs aim to achieve. Thus, the focus on tracking user access and changes firmly establishes the importance of audit logs in reinforcing network security.