Mapped to NIST 800-171 Requirement: 3.3.4
CMMC Assessment Objective: AU.L2-3.3.4[a]
What This Objective Means
To ensure consistent, reliable audit logging, organizations must first know which systems generate time stamps for events such as:
• User logins
• File access
• System alerts
• Administrative actions
This objective supports later requirements related to time synchronization (AU.L2-3.3.4[b]) by identifying where the time stamps originate across your IT environment.
Why It Matters
Timestamps are crucial for:
• Detecting unauthorized activity
• Correlating events across systems
• Investigating incidents in real time or retrospectively
If the sources of those timestamps are unknown—or inconsistent—you cannot rely on your audit trail.
How to Implement It
• Review your system inventory and identify:
◦ Devices and services that generate audit logs (e.g., servers, workstations, network gear, firewalls, cloud services)
◦ Which of these generate timestamps natively or depend on another system
• Include time-stamping systems in your System Security Plan (SSP)
• Note whether they rely on an internal or external time source (e.g., NTP servers)
Evidence the Assessor Will Look For
• A documented list of systems that provide time-stamped audit logs
• Inventory or network diagrams showing where logs originate and which systems timestamp them
• Details on time configuration settings or sync sources
• Role-based documentation identifying who maintains these systems
Common Gaps
• No formal documentation of which systems generate timestamps
• Lack of clarity on whether cloud services or appliances include timestamp data
• Timestamping occurs inconsistently across platforms
How Cuick Trac Helps
Cuick Trac supports this control by:
• Generating consistent, system-wide timestamps across its secure enclave
• Identifying all log-producing components and how they timestamp events
• Supporting documentation that maps event timing back to synchronized sources
• Helping organizations reduce timestamp inconsistencies across hybrid environments
With Cuick Trac, timestamp reliability is built in—not assumed.
Final CTA
If your logs don’t track time accurately, they won’t track anything reliably.
Schedule a Cuick Trac demo and build a logging foundation that starts with time itself.