Immutable Logs
Full Title or Meme
Data that cannot be changed, but can be appended.
Context
Immutable data is a piece of information in a database that cannot be deleted or modified. Immutable data is highly useful for auditing and debugging. A real-life example of immutable data is someone’s medical records. Over the years, a person might have sought treatment for different ailments. The medical record consists of various prescriptions, procedures, and test reports. These data files are immutable. For example, when a person receives a new medical prescription, their old prescription should not be overwritten. Instead, the database should append the new data to the existing one. Historical medical data is a classic example of immutable data.[1]
Immutable logs are log files protected from tampering and erroneous insertion.[2] They are highly useful for auditing and debugging purposes. Depending on the implementation, the files can have additional protections from poisoning and fictional recreation/forgery. Secure logs are an event logging technology called immutable logs.[3] This technology implements cryptographic measures to preserve the integrity and authenticity of logs, without compromising the performance of the system 3. An immutable audit log is a tamper-resistant recording of how a system has been used.
References
- ↑ Tibco, What is Immutable Data? https://www.tibco.com/reference-center/what-is-immutable-data
- ↑ Securosis, Immutable Log Files https://securosis.com/blog/immutable-log-files
- ↑ Jordi Cucurull & Jordi Puiggalí, Distributed Immutabilization of Secure Logs https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-319-46598-2_9
