Mapped to NIST 800-171 Requirement: 3.3.8
CMMC Assessment Objective: AU.L2-3.3.8[c]
What This Objective Means
After assigning notification responsibilities (AU.L2-3.3.8[a]) and configuring alerting systems (AU.L2-3.3.8[b]), this final objective ensures those alerting mechanisms are working correctly and actually notify the intended personnel or roles when:
• Log storage fills up
• Log forwarding fails
• Logging services are stopped or crash
• Logging thresholds drop unexpectedly
This is about testing and confirming your alert delivery process is functioning.
Why It Matters
If logging fails and no one is notified in real time:
• You’ll lose critical audit trail coverage
• You may fail to detect active threats
• You can’t prove your system is compliant with CMMC audit readiness
This objective ensures logging failures don’t go unnoticed due to silent system misconfigurations.
How to Implement It
• Trigger or simulate a logging failure:
◦ Stop a logging service temporarily
◦ Fill a log partition or disable forwarding
• Confirm that:
◦ Alerts are triggered
◦ Alerts go to the correct roles (e.g., SOC, sysadmin, MSP)
◦ Notifications include relevant detail (timestamp, system name, issue)
• Log and retain evidence of test results
• Schedule regular alert validation (e.g., quarterly or during system updates)
Evidence the Assessor Will Look For
• Logs or tickets showing actual alerts from past log failures
• Documentation of alert testing (who did it, when, and what the result was)
• Alert templates or notification emails that match responsible personnel
• Screenshots or export reports from monitoring/alerting tools (e.g., SIEM, log agent, SNMP alert manager)
Common Gaps
• Alerts are set up but never tested
• Alerts routed to outdated emails or inactive accounts
• No logs or reports proving notifications occurred during failures
How Cuick Trac Helps
Cuick Trac supports this control by:
• Monitoring audit logging systems continuously
• Sending automated alerts to assigned roles when log failures occur
• Documenting alert activity and providing exportable evidence
• Helping customers perform regular alert verification and alignment with audit roles
With Cuick Trac, log failure alerts don’t just exist—they’re tested, routed, and trusted.
Final CTA
Alerts only matter if they’re received—and acted on.
Schedule a Cuick Trac demo and make sure your audit log failure notifications are tested and effective.