Telemetry on Linux vs. Windows: A Comparative Analysis

Kostas
8 min readSep 3, 2024

Introduction

In today’s highly advanced IT environments, telemetry plays a vital role in monitoring, securing, and responding to incidents. Both the Linux and Windows platforms have their own mechanisms for telemetry, but they are designed to provide visibility into system activity. However, capturing and interpretation of telemetry in these two platforms is not a one-to-one process. Differences in architectures, logging systems, and tools mean that what works for Windows cannot be simply translated into Linux and vice versa.

This article explores the basic differences in telemetry between Windows and Linux using examples like authentication logs and process execution logs. We will also examine how these differences affect monitoring effectiveness, incident response, and overall system management. By understanding these nuances, system administrators and security professionals can better fine-tune telemetry strategies in alignment with the unique features of each platform.

1. Operating System Architecture and Diversity

1.1 The Uniformity of Windows

Windows offers a relatively uniform platform, which simplifies telemetry collection. Administrators can deploy standardized solutions across all Windows systems, whether they are working with Windows Server or Windows 10/11. The consistency in core architecture and system components extends to telemetry, where…

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Kostas

I am a security researcher. My interests lie in #ThreatIntel, #malware, #IR & #Threat_Hunting. I either post here or at http://thedfirreport.com/