CMS Security Handbook: The Comprehensive Guide for WordPress®, Joomla!®, Drupal™, and Plone®

Using Standard Log Files

Again, a log is a recording of historical events in a software application or hardware system. It tells you what has happened to your CMS or blog site, or what someone did while there.

Many logs are available to you, and the items they capture vary by what they monitor. Let's review a few of the common log types:

• Apache access logs — These are the primary files of record. They record all the activity for your website. Every time you browse a site such as www.google.com, you leave a wealth of information behind, and your site is no different. You can tell what their operating system was, what resources they wanted, how long they stayed, and more.
• Error logs — When something happens that should not happen to an application, to the CMS, or to other parts of the web server, an error is recorded. The error is recorded in the error.log file.
• FTP logs — The FTP logs record all activity that occurred when a person connects to the FTP service on the server. This shows who logged in, what he uploaded or downloaded, and his success rates. More information may be available based on the different FTP servers.
• Application-specific logs (Drupal, Joomla!, WordPress, and Plone) — Each of these has different means of recording information about what has happened.
• Mail log — This is a very generic term for the logs that apply to your e-mail services. They are good for troubleshooting to see whether mail is going out or coming in, whether bounces have occurred, and other ...