What does the term "chain of custody" refer to in security management?

The term "chain of custody" in security management specifically refers to documenting the state and location of evidence from the time it is collected until it is presented in court or otherwise analyzed. This concept is crucial in legal contexts, as it ensures that evidence remains intact, unaltered, and traceable. Each individual who handles the evidence must be recorded, showing when they took possession of it, under what circumstances, and how it has been stored or transferred. This meticulous documentation helps to maintain the integrity of the evidence, which is essential for upholding its validity in legal proceedings.

Tracking user access to data, implementing security measures against attacks, and managing system configurations pertain to various aspects of information security but do not encompass the specific legal framework and procedural integrity that the chain of custody ensures for physical or digital evidence.