Auditing in cybersecurity is a systematic and continuous security process that involves the rigorous examination and evaluation of an organization's information systems, operations, and control mechanisms. Its primary purpose is to verify compliance with established security policies, regulatory requirements, and industry best practices while proactively identifying vulnerabilities, security incidents, and operational inefficiencies. Through thorough analysis of security logs, system configurations, and activity records, auditing provides essential transparency into who accessed what resources, when, and how.

Within Identity & Access Management (IAM), auditing plays a critical role by meticulously scrutinizing user accounts, assigned permissions, access privileges, authentication events, and authorization decisions. This granular review ensures that user access aligns with the principle of least privilege, detects unauthorized access attempts, monitors privilege escalation, and tracks sensitive data usage across the infrastructure. As an ongoing security function, auditing delivers actionable intelligence for detecting anomalies, mitigating risks, enhancing overall security posture, and maintaining compliance with evolving cyber threats.