The alert came without warning: the regulator wants proof. Not summaries. Not reports. Exact access logs. Every connection through your proxy. Every authentication event. Every byte tied to a timestamp.
Under the New York Department of Financial Services (NYDFS) Cybersecurity Regulation, you must retain and produce logs that show all access to nonpublic information. Section 500.14 demands continuous monitoring and logging. Section 500.02 requires you to prove you’ve implemented controls to prevent unauthorized access. Proxies sit directly in this compliance chain, acting as the choke point for inbound and outbound traffic.
A proxy without proper logging leaves you blind. A proxy with detailed, structured logs becomes your evidence. You need clear fields: source IP, destination, user ID, timestamp, request method, response code. You need logs that are immutable, indexed, and instantly searchable. You need storage to meet the five-year retention requirements. It is not optional—failure means fines, damaged trust, and the regulator questioning your entire cybersecurity program.