Mapped to NIST 800-171 Requirement: 3.3.5
CMMC Assessment Objective: AU.L2-3.3.5[b]
What This Objective Means
Your organization must verify that system configurations support your defined log retention schedule. That means:
• Audit logs are kept for the minimum required period (typically 90 days or more)
• Log storage is not overwritten or purged prematurely
• Retention settings are applied consistently across log sources
This is about ensuring that your systems support your ability to review historical activity, conduct investigations, and meet compliance obligations.
Why It Matters
If logs are deleted or overwritten too soon:
• You may lose evidence needed for incident response or investigations
• You’ll fail to meet CMMC or contractual retention requirements
• Your audit trail will be incomplete during an assessment
Retention must be enforced by configuration, not just policy.
How to Implement It
• Identify log retention policies in your:
◦ Audit and Accountability Policy
◦ System Security Plan (SSP)
◦ Incident Response Plan or records management documentation
• Configure system log settings to:
◦ Retain logs for the required number of days (e.g., 90, 180, or longer)
◦ Prevent automatic overwrites before retention limits are met
◦ Archive logs to a secure storage location if long-term storage is required
• Apply retention settings to:
◦ Endpoint and server logs
◦ SIEMs and log management platforms
◦ Cloud-native logging services
Evidence the Assessor Will Look For
• Screenshots or exports showing log retention settings
• Log storage quotas and rollover configurations
• Archived log file paths or retention records
• Documentation aligning retention configuration with policy requirements
Common Gaps
• Policy defines retention, but systems don’t enforce it
• Logs are set to overwrite based on disk space instead of age
• Cloud logs are kept only for 30 days by default and not extended
How Cuick Trac Helps
Cuick Trac supports this requirement by:
• Retaining audit logs in secure, policy-aligned storage locations
• Applying default retention periods that meet or exceed CMMC requirements
• Preventing unauthorized log deletion or premature overwrite
• Providing retention policy templates and configuration documentation for review
With Cuick Trac, retention isn’t just written—it’s configured, monitored, and provable.
Final CTA
If your systems don’t retain logs, your policy doesn’t matter.
Schedule a Cuick Trac demo and ensure your audit records are preserved for when you need them most.