Event Log Timeline Visualization for Security Breach Detection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current information handling systems face challenges in efficiently identifying and responding to data breaches, as they lack tools to quickly distinguish between legitimate activities and unauthorized access, making it difficult for system administrators to determine the impact and involved parties in a security incident.
Innovation Solution
A software application that monitors and correlates event logs to create visual timelines, allowing system administrators to identify potential security breaches by grouping and displaying event logs based on specified criteria, such as location and user identity, enabling a hierarchical view of user activities across multiple network elements.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If event logs are monitored and analyzed in detail to identify security breaches, then detection precision is improved, but the time required for analysis and response increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments event logs into distinct sessions based on identifiers (IP addresses, usernames, device IDs), allowing analysts to divide the analysis into manageable chronological units. Each session represents a discrete interaction sequence that can be independently examined, reducing the cognitive load and time required to analyze large volumes of logs while maintaining detection precision through systematic review of segmented data.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a temporal dimension by displaying events in chronological order within sessions, and an organizational dimension by grouping sessions according to identifiers. This multi-dimensional presentation transforms raw log data into structured visual narratives, enabling analysts to quickly identify patterns and anomalies across multiple dimensions simultaneously, thereby improving detection precision without proportionally increasing analysis time.
2Measurement precision
If comprehensive event log data is collected from multiple network elements to improve breach detection accuracy, then detection precision is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges data from multiple network elements into unified sessions associated with common identifiers. By consolidating events from different sources (firewalls, servers, endpoints) into single chronological narratives per identifier, the system achieves comprehensive detection coverage without proportionally increasing complexity. The merging process creates integrated views that maintain precision while reducing the analytical burden of handling separate data streams.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a universal session structure that can accommodate events from diverse network elements and security devices. The session framework serves multiple functions: chronological ordering, data correlation, anomaly detection, and reporting. This multi-functional approach allows the system to handle comprehensive multi-source data through a single standardized mechanism, improving detection precision across different network elements without requiring separate complex analysis systems for each source.
3Ease of operation
If event logs are grouped and displayed in detailed timelines to identify security breaches, then ease of operation is improved, but information overload increases making it difficult to distinguish legitimate activities from unauthorized access
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments information display into hierarchical levels: identifiers at the top level, followed by chronological sessions, then individual events within each session. This segmentation allows operators to easily navigate from high-level overviews to detailed event examinations as needed. The structured segmentation maintains information clarity by presenting data in organized, digestible units rather than overwhelming continuous streams, thereby improving ease of operation without sacrificing the ability to distinguish legitimate from unauthorized activities.
Data Source
AI summary
Systems and techniques for displaying timelines of event logs are described. A software application may identify event logs associated with an identifier, such as an IP address of a network element or a username. The software application may group the identified event logs based on specified criteria. The software application may determine multiple sessions in which an individual session includes a group of event logs arranged along a timeline. Sessions associated with a same network element may be displayed with a same magnitude. Sessions associated with different network elements may be displayed with different magnitudes. For example, a first timeline of event logs in a first session at a first network element may be displayed at a first height. A second timeline of event logs in a second session at a second network element may be displayed at a second height.