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trail
Generic term for
recording (logging) a sequence of activities. In computer
and network contexts, an audit trail tracks the sequence of
activities on a system, such as user logins and logouts. More
expansive audit trail mechanisms would record each user's
activity in detail: what commands were issued to the system,
what records and files were accessed or modified, etc.
Audit trails are
a fundamental part of computer security, used to trace (albeit
usually retrospectively) unauthorized users and uses. They
can also be used to assist with information recovery in the
event of a system failure.
(In accounting
contexts, an audit trail is any logical sequence of documentation
-- on paper or in electronic form -- that validates a transaction.)
See also:
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