Reports

Data Security Essentials provides report generation to analyze and document your security data. Use reports to monitor user activities, track file operations, verify policy compliance, and maintain audit trails.

Generate Reports

You can generate reports from the Reports section. When you select a report type, the interface displays different input fields based on your selection.

Report Generation Process

1. Fill Required Information
   Complete the input fields specific to your selected report type.

   Username Format

   Enter the user name in the format of fqdn\account.

2. Choose Your Action

   • Save Configuration: Save the report configuration to regenerate it later
   • Generate Report: Generate the report with current settings

3. View Report Results (Example)
   After you click Generate Report, the interface displays your report results.

   

Report Results Interface

The interface displays your generated report data in an organized format with properties and data grids.

info

Each report's results interface will be different depending on the results and configuration. The interface adapts to show relevant data based on your selected report type and parameters.

Access History Report Example:

Properties Section:

• User name
• Access type (e.g., FILE_OPEN_FOR_READ +12)
• Item name (name of accessed item)
• Time period (e.g., last 20 days)

Data Grid: The report shows the number of records in a spreadsheet format with columns:

• User: Username who performed the action

• Item Name: Name of the file or directory accessed

• Directory Path: Full path to the accessed item

• Access Type: Type of operation performed

  • File Open for Write
  • File Close
  • Permission Change
  • File Open for Read

• Access Date: When the action occurred

• Audit Task: Associated audit task

• Client Name: Name of the client machine

• Share Name: Network share name

Why This Information Is Useful

The report data helps you identify security patterns, track user behavior, and investigate potential threats. Use this information to monitor file access trends, detect unusual activities, verify compliance with security policies, and create audit trails for regulatory requirements.

Export and Save Options

In the top right of the report results interface, you have two options:

• Save Configuration: Save the current report settings for future use
• Export as CSV: Download the report data for later review

Report Features and Functionality

Field Configuration

Each report type provides different input fields based on its purpose. Understanding these fields helps you configure reports that meet your specific security analysis needs.

Field Types

• Default Fields: Available across all report types
• Specific Fields: Unique to each report type based on its purpose
• Required Fields: Must be completed before you can generate the report
• Optional Fields: Provide additional filtering and customization

Date Range Selection

All reports include date range functionality to help you focus your analysis on specific time periods. This feature connects directly with the Report Generation Process when you fill in required information.

Date Range Best Practices

• Specify start and end dates for the report period
• Filter data to focus on specific timeframes

Report Types

User Reports

Generate reports about user activities and access patterns. These reports help you monitor user behavior and identify potential security risks.

Report Type	Description
User Summary	Search by username and view the count of file and directory operations and permission changes. Lists the most used client names and the number of operations from specific IP addresses.
User Audit	Lists all file and directory operations users performed within a specific number of days.
Access History	Provides access history for user activities.
Most Active Users	Lists the most active users, displaying each user's name and the number of activities performed.

File Reports

Generate reports about file access and operations. These reports help you track file activities and maintain security compliance.

Report Type	Description
File Summary	Provides the total count of all updated files with a breakdown of statistics: renamed, created, and changed files. Click a count to show a list of the specified file statistics.
File Audit	Lists all operations performed on a file.
Files Created	Lists all created files.
Files Renamed	Lists all renamed files.
Files Deleted	Lists all deleted files.
Files Moved	Lists all moved files.
Files Changed	Lists all changed files.
Deletion Compliance	Lists the files deleted within a specified timeframe and displays the deleted files within the given criteria.
File Owner Changed	Lists files with owner changes.
File Permission Changed	Lists files with permission modifications.

Policy Reports

Generate reports about policy configurations and violations. These reports help you verify policy compliance and track configuration changes.

Report Type	Description
Policy by Date	Lists policy details within a specific date range and/or policy name.

Directory Reports

Generate reports about directory structures and permissions. These reports help you monitor directory activities and maintain proper access controls.

Report Type	Description
Directory Summary	Provides the total count of all audited directories, with a breakdown of deleted, renamed, and created directories. Click a count to show a list of the specified directory operation.
Directory Audit	Lists all operations performed on a directory.
Directories Created	Lists all created directories.
Directories Renamed	Lists all renamed directories.
Directories Deleted	Lists all deleted directories.
Directory Moved	Lists all moved directories.
Deleted Files by Directory	Lists all deleted files grouped by directory.
Deleted Files Count by Directory	Lists the number of deleted files within a directory.
Most Accessed Directories	Lists the most accessed directories.
Directory Owner Changed	Lists directories with ownership changes, displaying the previous and new owners.
Directory Permission Changed	Lists directories with permission changes.

Saved Configurations

Save your current report configurations for future use. When you configure a report with specific settings and click the Save Configuration button, you can assign a custom name to that configuration.

Managing Saved Configurations

All configurations you save appear when you select the Saved Configurations report type. This report auto-populates with all configurations you saved, displaying them with the names you assigned. This feature helps you reuse report settings without reconfiguring the same parameters.

Saved configurations connect with the Export and Save Options feature, allowing you to build a library of commonly used report settings.

Report Drill-Down

Reports provide interactive drill-down functionality specifically for users and objects (files and directories). When viewing report results, you can click on user names or object links to access more detailed information pages.

User Drill-Down

1. Click User Name Link
   In any report displaying user information, click on the username link to navigate to a detailed page about that specific user.

2. View Detailed User Information
   The detailed page displays comprehensive activity logs, access patterns, and behavioral analytics for the selected user.

Object Drill-Down

1. Click Object Link
   In reports displaying files or directories, click on the object name link to navigate to its detailed page.

2. View Detailed Object Information
   The detailed page shows complete operation history, access logs, and permission changes for the selected file or directory.

Directory Permissions Details

When viewing permission-related reports, you can access detailed permission information for directories and files.

1. Click Permission Details
   Click on permission entries in reports to view the detailed permissions page.

2. View Permission Information
   The detailed page displays:

   • User: The user whose permissions are being tracked
   • Directory Name: The directory or file path
   • Permissions Table: A comprehensive table showing:
     • Attribute: The specific permission type (read, write, execute, delete, etc.)
     • Previous: The permission status the user had before the change
     • Current: The current permission status showing if the user still has the permission

3. Export Permission Data
   Click Export as CSV to download the permission details for further analysis or compliance documentation.

Permission Tracking

The Previous and Current columns help you track permission changes over time, making it easy to identify when permissions were granted or revoked and understand the current access state.

Drill-Down Availability

Drill-down functionality is available for:

• Users: Click on username links to view detailed user activity
• Objects: Click on file or directory name links to view detailed object history
• Permissions: Click on permission entries to view detailed permission changes

Other report elements (such as dates, access types, or client names) do not have drill-down capabilities.

Full Log History

View the complete log history of files, users, and other entities. This provides forensic detail for investigations and compliance audits.

Investigation Workflow

Use drill-down capabilities to investigate specific security events or user activities. This feature helps you navigate from summary data to forensic information for thorough analysis.