What evidence do auditors commonly ask for on 10.3.3 Audit logs promptly backed up to central secure storage?

Log forwarding configuration from sampled systems to the central log server; Evidence that logs from external-facing systems (for example wireless, network security controls, DNS, mail) are forwarded; Latency or ingestion delay metrics showing prompt transfer; Configuration of write-once or restricted-write central log storage.

What is the most common gap auditors find on 10.3.3?

DMZ web servers keep logs only locally

PCI DSS v4.0.1 · Req 10: Logging and Monitoring

`10.3.3` Audit logs promptly backed up to central secure storage

Audit log files, including logs from external-facing technologies, must be promptly backed up to one or more secure, central, internal log servers or to other media that is hard to modify. Applies to all entities. The guidance gives wireless, DNS servers, mail servers and network security controls as examples of external-facing sources, and notes that each entity chooses how to back up logs, whether written directly, offloaded or copied to the secure store. Objective under the customized approach: the stored records of activity are held securely in a central place so they cannot be modified without authorization.

Source: PCI DSS v4.0.1, 10.3.3. The statement above is our statement of the clause, read from the published text and cited so you can check it against the official text, not the instrument verbatim. Open PCI DSS v4.0.1 in the compliance library.

Version 4.0.1 is the active version; 4.0 has been retired. Appendix A1 applies only to multi-tenant service providers, A2 only to card-present POS POI terminals that still use SSL or early TLS, and A3 only when a payment brand or acquirer requires it. Which requirements apply to you follows your validation type.

artefacts

held by a system

at each review

easy

to go live

SIEM / log platform

where the evidence lives

teal = a system already holds it · olive = produced at each review. To go live: easy when half or more of the artefacts are already held by a system, moderate from a quarter to a half, hard below a quarter.

These are the artefacts auditors commonly ask for on this requirement, our guidance rather than text from the standard. Your assessor decides what is sufficient in your context, and asks for samples across the period when a report covers one.

system holds itEvidence a system already holds

Log forwarding configuration from sampled systems to the central log server · SIEM / log platform
Latency or ingestion delay metrics showing prompt transfer · SIEM / log platform
Configuration of write-once or restricted-write central log storage · SIEM / log platform

periodic reviewEvidence produced at each review

Evidence that logs from external-facing systems (for example wireless, network security controls, DNS, mail) are forwarded · SIEM / log platform

governing documentDocuments that govern the control

none for this control

First move

Automate the pull from your SIEM / log platform. Retention and alert rules exported from the SIEM; review evidence is the closed-alert record with reviewer and time.

Common gaps auditors find

DMZ web servers keep logs only locally
Logs batched and shipped only weekly
Central log server located outside the entity's control with no protection assurances

Do this for your whole sheet

Paste the rows you run your controls from and get this mapping for every control at once, with the periodic-review ones flagged and a first move per row. No account for the first run.

Build my evidence sheet

10.3.2 Audit log files protected from modification · 10.3.4 File integrity monitoring on audit logs