Your Organisation Needs A Cyber Audit

As companies of all kinds rely more and more on digital information and network-enabled devices, cyber security will continue to grow in importance. As organisations adopt new digital technologies, their risk of being targeted in cyber-attacks grows. The increased network complexity that comes as a result of digital innovation often creates new network gaps for cyber adversaries to exploit. If left unchecked, these risks can take down IT systems and can commercially undermine organisational tactics, PR and strategy, which is why it is critical that businesses have effective cyber security programs in place.

A cyber security audit is designed to be a comprehensive review and analysis of your business’s IT infrastructure. It identifies threats and vulnerabilities, exposing weaknesses and high-risk practices.

Cyber security audits act as a check-list that organisations can use to validate their security policies and procedures. 
Organisations that conduct an audit will be able to assess whether or not they have the proper security mechanisms in place while also making sure they are in compliance with relevant regulations.

Consider the fact that nearly a quarter of business-disrupting events are related to cybersecurity incidents in a given year, according to a study by the Business Continuity Institute. Now think about your own organisation: How would the business perform if it were hit by a cyber attack tomorrow?

Because cyber threats evolve at breakneck speed, it’s important to continually ensure that your cyber security measures are effective and up to date, because for most organisations, it’s only a matter of time before they encounter some form of cyber breach. 

Slow or inadequate response can hurt the company’s reputation, as well as the bottom line. It’s not enough to have plans in place; they need to be audited regularly. When was the last time your team updated the business’s cybersecurity plans? Are the documents current, and do they still meet the needs of each department? If you’re unsure, now is the ideal time for a cyber security audit. Although it’s beneficial to conduct more in-depth audits from time to time, a brief internal audit can help you ensure that your cyber security plans are up to date and functioning as they should. 

Here are four quick steps to get you started:

Review All Plans:  First, conduct a document-based review of the plans. Consider if their policies and procedures are still up to date, complete, and relevant. Ensure that every piece of each plan fits a purpose and that all roles and responsibilities are clearly defined.

Reassess Your Risks:  Identify any new threats to the organisation’s cyber assets that may have emerged since your team developed the cyber security plans. For example, additional vulnerabilities can crop up when the company adds third-party data storage, as employees leave or join the company, or if the business incorporates new hardware, software, and servers. 
If you discover new risks or identify additional assets, be sure to account for them in your planning documents.

Consider Applicable Security Standards:   After reviewing each plan, consider whether or not it still meets all applicable classification and security standards. Does it account for the organisation’s own policies, as well as any regulatory requirements and industry best practices? This is your chance to compare the current state of your plans to their ideal versions.

Assess Whether Your Plans Are Really Actionable:   Finally, consider how employees would actually use the plans during an emergency situation, say, if they discovered a major data breach. 

Now that you have your list of threats, you need to be realistic about your company’s ability to defend against them. It is critical to evaluate your performance, and the performance of your department at large, with as much objectivity as possible.  
For example, maybe your team is particularly good at monitoring your network and detecting threats, but it’s been a while since you’ve held a training for your employees.

You need to consider how you can build a strong culture of security among among all your employees, not just in the IT department.  

Would the people who discovered the breach know what to do? Where would they go to find additional information? Whom would they contact, and how long would it take to start rectifying the situation?Cyber security incidents move quickly, and as breaches become increasingly common, your organisation needs to ensure employees know what to do in an emergency, as well as during normal operating hours. 

Digitising your cyber security plans using a crisis management platform is one way to allow stakeholders to access the appropriate plan details quickly and easily, using their mobile devices. This ensures that the plans are always actionable, regardless of when or where employees need them.

Regular internal audits of your cyber security plans will help your organisation ensure it’s ready for two things: a cyber security breach and any potential external audits you may be subject to. Cyber security is vital to business continuity and crisis management, so you want to make sure that this is one area of the business that is meeting expectations.

To reduce the chances and effects of cyber attacks important aspects is to ensure you have an effective cyber audit process and cyber security training. 

 Cyber Security Intelligence can recommend leading experts in Pentesting Cyber Audit and Cyber Security training from around the world. Please contact us for further information.

Security Scorecard:      RockDove Solutions:     IndusFace:     TechTarget:     Dashlane:     Cyfor

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