CIS AWS Foundations v1.2 2.4: CloudTrail trails should be integrated with Amazon CloudWatch Logs

The target keyword for this requirement page is cis aws foundations v1.2 2.4: cloudtrail trails should be integrated with amazon cloudwatch logs requirement, and the practical meaning is straightforward: CloudTrail logs are only useful if your team can query and alert on them quickly. S3-only CloudTrail storage supports retention and forensics, but it is slow for near-real-time detection unless you build additional tooling. CloudWatch Logs is the native AWS path to metric filters, alarms, and downstream routing into a SIEM or SOAR.

This requirement is mapped in AWS Security Hub as a CIS control (mapped control: CloudTrail.5) and is intended to be implemented consistently across accounts and regions ¹. For compliance operators, the hard part is not clicking “enable,” it’s making the configuration repeatable, provable, and resilient to drift (new accounts, new trails, region expansion, team handoffs).

Use this page as a runbook: who owns what, how to implement step-by-step, what evidence to retain, where audits get stuck, and how to execute in a practical sequence without turning it into a months-long platform rewrite.

Regulatory text

Excerpt (provided): “Implement CIS AWS Foundations Benchmark v1.2 requirement 2.4 as mapped in AWS Security Hub.” ²

What the operator must do: Configure CloudTrail so that each in-scope trail is integrated with Amazon CloudWatch Logs. In Security Hub terms, you want the CIS check aligned to CloudTrail.5 to pass by ensuring your trails have a CloudWatch Logs log group configured and a valid IAM role that allows CloudTrail to write into that log group ¹.

Plain-English interpretation

• CloudTrail records account activity (management events and, if enabled, data events).
• This requirement expects those events to also land in CloudWatch Logs so you can:
  • run searches quickly during incident response,
  • create metric filters and alerts for suspicious actions,
  • forward events to a central logging/SIEM pipeline with less friction.
• A trail that only writes to S3 may still meet some internal logging goals, but it will commonly fail this CIS benchmark requirement if it is not integrated with CloudWatch Logs ¹.

Who it applies to

Entity scope

• AWS Cloud Operators responsible for account security baselines, detection engineering, and audit readiness ².

Operational context (where auditors focus)

• Multi-account AWS environments (AWS Organizations) where drift is likely.
• Regulated workloads where you must show detective controls and timely investigation capability.
• Teams using Security Hub as the control monitoring plane (mapped to CloudTrail.5) ¹.

What you actually need to do (step-by-step)

Step 1: Establish the standard (what “compliant” means in your environment)

Decide and document:

• Do you run one organization trail (preferred for consistency) or multiple trails?
• Are trails multi-region?
• Which events are in scope (management events at minimum; data events based on risk appetite)?
• What is the central logging account strategy, if you use one?

Write this as a short internal control statement: “All production AWS accounts must have CloudTrail configured to deliver to CloudWatch Logs via an approved log group and IAM role, monitored for drift.”

Step 2: Inventory CloudTrail trails across accounts and regions

Operational approaches:

• Use AWS Security Hub findings for CIS mapping visibility (control: CloudTrail.5) ¹.
• Also maintain a direct inventory (recommended) because audits often ask for “show me outside the dashboard.”

What to capture in the inventory:

• Trail name, account, region scope (single vs multi-region), status (enabled), and CloudWatch Logs integration fields (log group, role ARN).

Step 3: Create or select the CloudWatch Logs destination

For each trail you will integrate:

• Create a CloudWatch Logs log group dedicated to CloudTrail (naming convention helps audits).
• Define retention settings that match your internal policy (the benchmark text provided does not mandate a retention period; treat retention as a separate control).

Practical tip: keep CloudTrail log groups separate from application logs. It simplifies permissions, queries, and evidence collection.

Step 4: Create the IAM role that allows CloudTrail to write to CloudWatch Logs

CloudTrail needs an IAM role it can assume (or use) to publish into CloudWatch Logs. The exam failure mode here is almost always permissions:

• Trust relationship incorrectly scoped.
• Policy missing logs:PutLogEvents / logs:CreateLogStream to the correct log group resource.
• Role exists but the trail references the wrong ARN.

Your evidence must show:

• The role exists,
• it trusts CloudTrail appropriately,
• and it grants write access to the intended log group.

Step 5: Update each trail to enable CloudWatch Logs integration

For each in-scope trail, configure:

• CloudWatch Logs log group (destination)
• CloudWatch Logs role ARN (permissions)

Then validate:

• New CloudTrail events appear in the log group.
• There is no delivery error signal (you may detect this through operational monitoring or by checking configuration and recent events).

Step 6: Add detection content (don’t stop at log delivery)

This CIS requirement is satisfied by integration, but auditors and security leaders will ask what you do with the logs. Minimum operational baseline:

• Create a small set of CloudWatch metric filters and alarms for high-signal events (for example: root activity, IAM policy changes, CloudTrail stop/delete attempts).
• Route CloudWatch Logs to your SIEM if that is your operating model.

Keep the scope disciplined. The control objective here is “events are available for monitoring,” not “write a full detection program in one sprint.”

Step 7: Prevent drift (the part that makes it pass audits)

You need recurring verification. Options:

• AWS Security Hub continuous checks (CloudTrail.5) ¹.
• A scheduled configuration check (Config rule, custom script, or IaC policy-as-code).
• Infrastructure-as-code guardrails: enforce that any trail module includes CloudWatch Logs integration.

If you use Daydream to operationalize evidence, map “2.4 integration enabled” to:

• an account-level control,
• an evidence query (Security Hub + direct API snapshot),
• and a recurring verification cadence with exceptions tracked to closure.

Required evidence and artifacts to retain

Auditors usually want proof of design and operation. Keep a small, consistent evidence packet:

Design evidence (static)

• Your internal control statement for CIS AWS Foundations v1.2 2.4 and the scope definition (accounts, environments).
• Architecture note: organization trail vs per-account trail decision.
• IAM role and policy document (trust + permissions) used for CloudTrail → CloudWatch Logs.

Operating evidence (time-bound)

• Screenshots or exports showing each trail’s CloudWatch Logs log group and role ARN configured.
• CloudWatch log group configuration evidence (name, retention setting if you set one).
• Recent Security Hub results for CloudTrail.5 showing pass status ¹.
• Recurring verification output (for example, a monthly exported report or ticketed attestation) showing no drift or documented exceptions.

Tip: store evidence per account in a predictable folder structure (by account ID and date). Consistency reduces audit time.

Common exam/audit questions and hangups

1. “Is this enabled in every account and every region?”
   Have a clear statement: org trail coverage, multi-region setting, and exceptions (if any).

2. “Show me the IAM permissions that allow CloudTrail to write to CloudWatch Logs.”
   Provide both the role trust policy and the permissions policy, plus the trail configuration that references the role ARN.

3. “How do you know this stays enabled?”
   Point to Security Hub continuous monitoring (CloudTrail.5) and your periodic verification workflow ¹.

4. “Who reviews alerts and how fast?”
   This is adjacent to the benchmark requirement, but common in practice. Document ownership (SOC/on-call) and escalation, even if SLAs are internal targets.

Frequent implementation mistakes (and how to avoid them)

Mistake	Why it fails	How to avoid
Enabling CloudTrail but skipping CloudWatch Logs integration	CIS 2.4 check fails and security can’t alert quickly	Standardize on an org trail module that always configures the log group + role
Wrong IAM role trust/policy	Trail “configured” but delivery fails or is partial	Pre-approve a role template; test by confirming events arrive in the log group
Per-account ad hoc trails	Drift, inconsistent naming, hard audits	Prefer AWS Organizations trail + delegated admin patterns where possible
No drift monitoring	Control passes once, then silently fails after changes	Use Security Hub findings + scheduled configuration verification 1
Mixing CloudTrail logs with app logs	Confusing queries, noisy access policies	Separate log groups for audit logs vs application telemetry

Enforcement context and risk implications

No public enforcement cases were provided in the source materials for this specific CIS requirement, so you should not treat it as a direct “regulatory fine trigger” on its own. Treat it as a defensible security baseline aligned to the CIS AWS Foundations Benchmark and surfaced through AWS Security Hub’s mapped control coverage ².

Risk you are reducing:

• delayed detection of credential misuse and unauthorized configuration changes,
• weaker investigation capability during incident response,
• inability to show auditors that cloud activity logs are integrated into active monitoring workflows.

Practical 30/60/90-day execution plan

Days 0–30: Baseline and quick wins

• Define scope: which accounts/environments must comply (prod first if you must phase).
• Inventory all trails and current CloudWatch Logs integration status.
• Pick the standard pattern (organization trail vs per-account).
• Implement CloudWatch Logs integration for the highest-risk accounts first.
• Turn on Security Hub monitoring for CIS mapping and confirm visibility for the control mapped to CloudTrail.5 ¹.

Deliverables:

• Control statement + scope register.
• Evidence packet template.
• Initial pass status for a prioritized subset of accounts.

Days 31–60: Scale, standardize, and add drift controls

• Roll integration across remaining in-scope accounts.
• Standardize IAM role and log group naming.
• Add recurring verification (Security Hub tracking plus a second check such as Config/custom automation).
• Define exception process (M&A accounts, sandboxes, or constrained environments).

Deliverables:

• Organization-wide compliance view (pass/fail + exceptions).
• Drift monitoring workflow with owners and ticketing.

Days 61–90: Operational maturity for audits

• Add a minimal alerting pack (a few high-signal metric filters) and document ownership.
• Run an internal audit “tabletop”: pick one account and prove the full chain from trail config → log group → events visible → monitoring check.
• Automate evidence collection (exports/snapshots) so audits do not depend on screenshots.

Deliverables:

• Audit-ready evidence set for sampled accounts.
• Repeatable evidence collection process (manual is acceptable if consistent; automation is better).

Frequently Asked Questions

Does enabling an organization trail in AWS Organizations satisfy CIS AWS Foundations v1.2 2.4?

It can, if the organization trail is in scope for the accounts you’re claiming compliance for and the trail is configured to send to CloudWatch Logs. Auditors will still ask you to prove coverage and show the CloudWatch Logs log group and role configuration.

If CloudTrail already logs to S3, why add CloudWatch Logs?

S3 storage supports retention and forensics, but CloudWatch Logs supports faster search and native alerting patterns. The CIS mapping in Security Hub expects CloudWatch Logs integration for this requirement ¹.

What evidence is usually enough to prove the control?

Provide trail configuration showing the CloudWatch Logs log group and role ARN, the IAM role/policy that allows delivery, and a record of recurring verification (often via Security Hub results for CloudTrail.5) ¹.

We have multiple trails. Do they all need CloudWatch Logs integration?

Treat “in-scope” trails as those providing your baseline account activity logging for the environment. If multiple trails split coverage, integrate each one that is required to meet your stated logging scope, and document why any trail is excluded.

Can we forward CloudTrail to a SIEM without CloudWatch Logs and still meet this requirement?

This requirement is explicitly about CloudTrail integration with CloudWatch Logs as mapped in AWS Security Hub for CIS. A separate SIEM pipeline may be good security practice, but it does not replace the specific integration expectation ¹.

How should we operationalize this across many accounts without constant manual checks?

Standardize the configuration in IaC, monitor drift with Security Hub (CloudTrail.5) plus an independent configuration check, and track exceptions to closure. Daydream fits well here by mapping the requirement to control owners, evidence queries, and periodic verification workflows.

Related compliance topics

• 03.01.18: Access Control for Mobile Devices
• 03.01.19: Withdrawn
• 03.01.20: Use of External Systems
• 03.01.21: Withdrawn
• 03.01.22: Publicly Accessible Content

Footnotes

1. AWS Security Hub CIS AWS Foundations mapping table

2. CIS AWS Foundations Benchmark; AWS Security Hub CIS AWS Foundations mapping table