When something goes wrong inside a company, from data theft to inappropriate conduct, the first question is often: “What do the logs show?”
IT logs are a crucial piece of the investigative puzzle, but they aren’t the whole picture. Many organizations assume logs are complete, permanent, and self-explanatory. In reality, they’re often limited, short-lived, and easily misunderstood.
Understanding what your systems track, and what they don’t, can make the difference between a strong case and a dead end.
What Logs Can Be Useful in an Investigation
Different systems generate different logs, and some are more helpful than others depending on the situation. Commonly valuable log types include:
- Email logs – Show sender/recipient, subject, and timestamps
- File access logs – Indicate who accessed or modified certain documents
- VPN and remote access logs – Reveal who connected, when, and from where
- Login and authentication logs – Useful for establishing patterns and timelines
- USB device logs – Can show if external drives were plugged into company computers
- Cloud service logs (Google Workspace, Microsoft 365) – Track activity across shared drives and collaboration tools
- Chat platform logs (Slack, Teams, Zoom) – May retain conversations, call logs, or channel activity
Each of these logs can offer valuable insight, if they’re available and preserved.
The Biggest Misconception: “The Logs Will Show Everything”
In practice, logs are:
- Often overwritten after 30–90 days unless retention policies are in place
- Not turned on by default in many platforms (USB logging, for example, may need to be explicitly enabled)
- Too vague to show content (e.g., email logs don’t reveal message bodies, only metadata)
- Fragmented across platforms, especially in hybrid or cloud-heavy environments
- Missing context: a log may show a file was accessed, but not what was done with it
Logs are incredibly helpful for establishing who, when, and how often, but rarely answer why or what was actually seen or taken.
What Logs Often Miss Entirely
There are entire categories of behavior that logs may not capture without deeper forensic tools:
- Screenshots or copy/paste activity
- Viewing files without opening them locally (e.g., previewing in cloud UI)
- Data moved to a personal account (e.g., forwarded emails, downloads to personal devices)
- Deleted messages in apps with limited retention or user-controlled deletion
- Activity on personal devices used under a BYOD policy
- “Shadow syncing” to cloud storage tools like Dropbox or Google Drive not tied to company accounts
In these cases, logs alone won’t tell the full story, but they may provide enough breadcrumbs to justify deeper investigation.
How to Make Logs Work for You
The value of logs depends on what you log, how long you keep it, and whether you know how to interpret it. Here’s how to improve your posture:
Enable logging beyond default settings
Ensure things like USB access, admin activity, and file downloads are tracked, especially in cloud platforms.
Set appropriate retention policies
Many logs are purged automatically after short windows unless longer retention is specified.
Coordinate across departments
Legal, HR, and IT should work together to ensure relevant logs are preserved when an issue arises, especially before resetting accounts or reissuing devices.
Involve digital forensics when context is unclear
Forensic experts can correlate logs with system artifacts, metadata, and behavior to build a clear timeline and narrative.
Logs are essential, but they’re not magical. They don’t tell you everything, and they’re not always around when you need them.
If you’re facing a situation where the logs don’t tell the whole story, or if you’re unsure whether key activity was even logged, Swailes Computer Forensics can help. We specialize in bridging the gap between IT systems and legal insight, helping organizations understand what really happened, not just what the logs say.
About Swailes Computer Forensics
Swailes Computer Forensics provides expert digital forensic services to law firms, corporations, and organizations nationwide. Our work includes investigations into intellectual property theft, employee misconduct, data breaches, and more. With decades of experience and a commitment to integrity and clarity, we help clients uncover critical evidence and take informed action.
If you’re facing a potential case of employee data theft or have concerns about unauthorized activity, contact us for a confidential consultation.