Audit Controls
HIPAA-required mechanisms that record and examine activity in systems holding ePHI.
Audit Controls are a HIPAA Security Rule technical safeguard requiring hardware, software, or procedural mechanisms that record and examine activity in information systems containing ePHI. Putting those mechanisms in place also means planning audit log retention and review.
In practice, audit controls are implemented through audit logging, capturing who accessed what data and when, so that access can be reviewed and anomalies investigated. Reliable, tamper-resistant logs are central to demonstrating compliance and supporting breach investigations. Framework login logs are not enough on their own. CodeIgniter's Shield records login attempts but not PHI access, as our CodeIgniter HIPAA compliant guide explains. CakePHP likewise offers general logging but no record of who viewed or changed PHI. For CakePHP HIPAA compliant apps, teams add a small community audit plugin or build their own audit table.