Businesses of all sizes should have a plan in place to check for vulnerabilities and sound security processes

A cybersecurity checklist is a tool IT teams use to track the state of security controls. Items on the list can help distinguish fraudulent activity, device failures, and unauthorized access.

They’re a key component in information governance and security, put in place to safeguard critical data, such as:

• Customer information
• Financial records
• Intellectual property

If cybersecurity measures are neglected, it could result in a breach of critical data and put your company’s infrastructure at risk.

What is a Cybersecurity Audit?

A cybersecurity audit includes a broad examination of your IT infrastructure. It looks for threats and vulnerabilities, bringing to light high-risk areas and weak links. A cybersecurity audit can help an organization assess risk and identify threats.

A cybersecurity auditor will work with an organization to check online security systems and give comprehensive information about their network. They can also check for the efficiency and effectiveness of its processes.

Why Do You Need a Cybersecurity Audit?

A cybersecurity audit helps assess crucial aspects of your network, such as:

• Areas in need of improvement
• Incident response plans
• Protocols and procedures to control an event’s impact and help with a quick recovery

A cybersecurity audit is an important component of IT support services because it can:

• Help identify and rectify problems to avoid costly compliance violations
• Prevent a data breach or other dangerous incidents
• Identify issues such as risky practices, threats, and vulnerability in processes and systems

2024 CyberSecurity Audit Checklist

Your specific checklist might look different from other organizations, depending on your needs, budget, and scope of work. Here is a good place to start to look for common IT issues.

IT Staff

A cybersecurity checklist starts with the personnel working on your network. Functions of this can include:

• Company compliance
• General company data and security policies
• IT staff policies and training
• List of approved computer software and hardware
• Log file reviews
• Regular anti-virus software updates and security audits
• Software patch management
• System hardening plans

Data Management & Security

The safety of your company’s assets and customer data is critical. These areas can include:

• Classifying confidential data
• Data backup
• Disposal techniques (when an employee leaves or data is no longer needed)
• Encrypting sensitive data

Employees

Outside of your IT staff, employees also have access to critical data. You can protect your assets with a few easy steps, such as:

• Company BYOD policies
• Password requirements and best practices
• Required training on cyber threats

Business Policies & Procedures

How your organization protects assets in everyday procedures is important to network security. Business protocol for cybersecurity can include:

• Emergency response plans for a cyberattack or emergency
• Plans to handle disruptions to business flow
• Backup networks and devices as needed
• Identification of all potential sources of cyberattacks and vulnerabilities
• Ways to physically secure the company’s data

Ongoing Monitoring & Audits

Cybersecurity isn’t a one-and-done procedure or check-in process. With security measures in place, it becomes a matter of ongoing maintenance, including:

• Regular audits
• Testing
• Vulnerability audits

Physical Protection

Cybersecurity extends from clouds and networks to tangible items that can keep your system safe, including:

• Key card system, if needed
• Locked server rooms
• Safe locations for all keys to locked rooms
• Security cameras

How Do You Conduct a Cybersecurity Audit?

No matter the project’s size, a cybersecurity audit will include three basic parts.

Determine Scope

What is necessary to include in your audit? If an incident has deemed the audit necessary, that’s where you’ll start. Who are the stakeholders with the most interest in your cybersecurity? These will influence how you structure your audit to cover:

• Compliance regulations
• Cybersecurity policies and procedures
• IT infrastructure, such as:
  • Hardware
  • Networking
  • Software
  • Physical security procedures
• Sensitive data storage, transmission, and safeguards

Documenting the requirements of your audits is key. This can ensure your next audits are consistent and allow for comparison. Compliance audits call for knowing what is needed in your cybersecurity framework, or what compliance standards you’re checking for.

Sometimes, compliance audits are done externally.

Identify Threats

Once you understand the scope, you can assess risks to the network and security protocols already in use to lessen them. These can include:

DDos Attacks

Distributed Denial of Service interruptions are meant to force a website shutdown using a flood of fake traffic to the server.

Malware

These files or programs are designed to damage, disable, or invade computer networks. Ransomware is a serious example of malware. In a ransomware attack, cybercriminals encrypt your sensitive data, and then demand payment to decrypt it.

Shadow IT

Any apps or hardware your workforce uses that your IT team doesn’t manage can become threats. Employees might access these unsanctioned SaaS app threats on personal devices used on the organization’s network.

Social Engineering

With practices such as business email compromise and phishing, hackers can trick personnel into willfully divulging sensitive data. This can come by phone calls, emails with attachments, app links, and more.

Stolen passwords

Data leaks can make employee information, such as passwords, vulnerable. Hackers use this information to access corporate accounts and transfer data or manipulate systems from behind this gatekeeper.

SQL Injections

SQL, or Structured Query Language, can be introduced into company web applications unauthorized. This allows hackers access to systems and data.

Zero-Day Exploits

These attacks rely on unpatched security weaknesses. Cybercriminals who find these can gain critical access to internal networks.

It’s best to track security measures continuously to identify all threats. Effective auditors identify attacks in real-time so that security personnel can correct problems before sensitive data is compromised.

Plan a Response

You’ve conducted the audit and now know the vulnerabilities in your network. Next, you’ll need an incident response plan. Make sure it includes:

• A way to prioritize risks and remediation procedures, such as reinforcement of security frameworks, segmenting network structure, and patching software
• A continuity plan for disaster recovery after you’ve identified all threats
• Documenting tools in place to safeguard networks in prevention, detection, and response to protect your IT ecosystem
• A communication plan for employee training and awareness
• An incident response plan to simplify audits by showing procedures implemented for cybersecurity risk

How Often Should Cybersecurity Audits Be Done?

You should conduct cybersecurity audits yearly, in addition to regular vulnerability assessments. These can determine security concerns that might emerge in regular operations. Schedule vulnerability audits at least quarterly or biannually.

Entities with sensitive data, such as easily identifiable personal information, should consider audits twice a year, depending on budget and time available.

How Long Does a Cybersecurity Audit Take?

A cybersecurity audit for a small organization can be done in less than two hours. Times will vary with infrastructure size and complexity. First-time audits can take as long as a year for large networks when you consider preparation, readiness, and remediation.

After that, depending on the scope of needs, a cybersecurity audit might take weeks or months, with two weeks to nine months to prepare.

Are There Industry-Specific Cybersecurity Audit Checklists?

Yes, there are industry-specific cybersecurity audit checklists. Industries have a variety of security laws and regulations. Companies that manage credit card information must adhere to the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS), for example.

All businesses benefit from audits, for help with:

• Checking compliance with industry regulations and standards
• Discovering possible weaknesses
• Protecting sensitive information

Does Your Business Need a Cybersecurity Audit?

Yes, your business needs a cybersecurity audit, at least annually, regardless of business size. Small and mid-sized organizations often lack the resources to do them on their own. A cybersecurity audit can uncover risks and vulnerabilities in your processes and systems.

Allocate your staff and resources to growth and innovation, not reactive tasks from cybersecurity vulnerabilities. Learn how Techmate’s network of highly-vetted local technicians can help when you contact us for a free demo.