Audit Trails

Validation Layer — Evidence of compliance over time


Definition

Audit trails document compliance verification activities over time. They provide historical evidence of when and how compliance was verified, enabling accountability and trend analysis.

Role in the Framework

Conformance Tests ← execute regularly
Compliance Matrix ← snapshot results
    ↓
Audit Trails ← accumulate history
    ↓
├── Trend analysis
├── Regression detection
└── Compliance evidence

Audit Record Structure

# Audit Record: 2024-Q1 Compliance Review
 
**Specification**: Protocol Spec v2.3 (Cancun)
**Period**: 2024-01-01 to 2024-03-31
**Clients Tested**: Geth 1.13.x, Nethermind 1.25.x, Besu 24.1.x
 
## Summary
 
| Metric | Value | Change |
|--------|-------|--------|
| Total Requirements | 326 | +12 |
| Test Coverage | 98.2% | +1.2% |
| Overall Pass Rate | 96.6% | +0.8% |
| Critical Failures | 0 | -2 |
 
## Notable Events
 
### 2024-01-15: Blob Gas Calculation Fix
- Issue: FUNC-1.2.2 failing on Geth
- Root cause: Off-by-one in blob gas calculation
- Resolution: Geth PR #28456
- Verification: All clients passing as of 2024-01-18
 
### 2024-02-20: New Fixtures for EIP-XXXX
- Added: 47 new test fixtures
- Coverage: FUNC-2.3.x requirements
- Status: All clients passing
 
## Compliance Evidence
 
Test run logs: s3://audit-logs/2024-q1/
Fixture versions: execution-spec-tests v2.3.1

Best Practices

  • Automate audit trail generation from CI
  • Preserve logs immutably
  • Track trends across time
  • Document remediation for failures
  • Link to specification versions tested