# Ensure Monitoring and Logging is Enabled (Manual)

- Source: https://support.icompaas.com/support/solutions/articles/62000234440-ensure-monitoring-and-logging-is-enabled-manual-
- Section: [Solutions](https://support.icompaas.com/support/solutions) › [CIS AWS Database Services Benchmark v1.0.0](https://support.icompaas.com/support/solutions/62000112688) › [CIS AWS Database Services Benchmark v1.0.0](https://support.icompaas.com/support/solutions/folders/62000169253)
- Last updated: 2026-05-29
- Publisher: iCompaas, Inc. (https://www.icompaas.com)

### Profile Applicability:

Level 1

### Description:

Enable monitoring and logging for your database services (such as RDS, ElastiCache, or QLDB) using Amazon CloudWatch and AWS CloudTrail to gain visibility into performance, health, and security-related activities.

### Rationale:

Monitoring and logging help detect unauthorized access, track system performance, and enable timely responses to anomalies or attacks.

### Impact:

Without proper logging and monitoring, malicious activity or performance degradation may go unnoticed, leading to data breaches or service disruption.

### Default Value:

Monitoring and logging are not enabled by default for many AWS database services.

### Pre-requisites:

-   AWS CloudWatch permissions  
      
    
-   CloudTrail enabled (for services supporting API-level audit)  
      
    

### Test Plan:

#### Using AWS Console:

1.  Sign in to the AWS Management Console.  
      
    
2.  Navigate to the respective service console (e.g., RDS, ElastiCache, QLDB).  
      
    
3.  Select the database cluster or instance.  
      
    
4.  Check the Monitoring/Logging section to verify enhanced monitoring and logging is enabled.  
      
    
5.  Review CloudWatch metrics, alarms, and logs.  
      
    

#### Using AWS CLI:

Describe the database instance:  

aws rds describe-db-instances --db-instance-identifier <your-instance-id>

1.  Check for parameters like MonitoringInterval, CloudwatchLogsExportConfiguration, etc.  
      
    

### Implementation Plan:

#### Using AWS Console:

1.  Go to the respective database service (RDS, ElastiCache, etc.) in the AWS console.  
      
    
2.  Select the instance/cluster.  
      
    
3.  Click “Modify”.  
      
    
4.  Enable Enhanced Monitoring and choose monitoring interval (e.g., 1 min).  
      
    
5.  Enable log exports (e.g., error logs, audit logs).  
      
    
6.  Choose or create a CloudWatch log group.  
      
    
7.  Save and apply changes.  
      
    

#### Using AWS CLI:

Modify RDS instance to enable enhanced monitoring:  

aws rds modify-db-instance --db-instance-identifier <your-instance-id> --monitoring-interval 60 --apply-immediately

Enable log exports (e.g., audit, error logs):  

aws rds modify-db-instance --db-instance-identifier <your-instance-id> --cloudwatch-logs-export-configuration '{"EnableLogTypes":\["audit","error"\]}' --apply-immediately

  

### Backout Plan:

#### Using AWS Console:

1.  Navigate to the service console.  
      
    
2.  Select the instance and click “Modify”.  
      
    
3.  Disable Enhanced Monitoring.  
      
    
4.  Uncheck the enabled log types.  
      
    
5.  Save and apply changes.  
      
    

#### Using AWS CLI:

Disable Enhanced Monitoring:  
  

aws rds modify-db-instance --db-instance-identifier <your-instance-id> --monitoring-interval 0 --apply-immediately

Disable log exports:

aws rds modify-db-instance --db-instance-identifier <your-instance-id> --cloudwatch-logs-export-configuration '{"DisableLogTypes":\["audit","error"\]}' --apply-immediately

  

### References:

1.  [https://docs.aws.amazon.com/AmazonRDS/latest/UserGuide/USER\_Monitoring.html  
      
    ](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/AmazonRDS/latest/UserGuide/USER_Monitoring.html)
    
2.  [https://aws.amazon.com/cloudwatch/  
      
    ](https://aws.amazon.com/cloudwatch/)

## Related compliance guidance

- [SOC 2 compliance: a practical implementation guide for cloud-native SaaS teams](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/soc-2-trust-services-criteria): Configuration checks like this one are the technical half of a SOC 2 / ISO 27001 programme — the guide shows where they fit, what else an auditor expects, and how to evidence them.
- [ISO/IEC 27001:2022 compliance: a practical implementation guide](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/iso-27001-2022): ISO 27001 Annex A.8 (technological controls) is where cloud hardening evidence lands; the guide shows how to run the ISMS around it.