Cybersecurity is an element of your business that doesn’t depend on the sophistication of your tools or your technical resilience; it’s more about the processes you have in place to ensure data and information security. Unfortunately, companies operate under an illusion of safety due to misguided beliefs or a blissful lack of awareness of the risks they face. This false sense of security can be disastrous and is why a cybersecurity audit can be useful in identifying areas of weakness and easily-fixed vulnerabilities.
As disastrous cyber attacks and data breaches continue to increase worldwide, it’s becoming evident that these may never be eradicated. Given the extent of globalisation, a breach on one end of the planet may be felt on the other.
Safeguarding your resources and data is key, therefore, to uphold the global security infrastructure in place to protect local and national economies. In this post, we look at a few of the main areas a cybersecurity audit dives into.
A deep dive into your security parameters
When it comes to evaluating your security parameters, there are two ways to go about conducting an assessment. An internal cybersecurity assessment draws on internal expertise and is generally less extensive and advanced compared to an external audit performed by seasoned security specialists.
Regardless of who performs this assessment, however, a few areas that are considered include (and are not limited to) whether company devices are protected by firewalls, whether your organisation has designated personnel for cybersecurity, and if there is an incident response team in place to deal with cybersecurity breaches and attacks.
This component of your assessment basically considers what structures you have in place and whether your security setup is doing what it’s supposed to do. Here, your security strategies and policies are generally gone over with a fine-tooth comb to identify any gaps or limitations.
An analysis of your security software
Security software forms a crucial part of any business’ arsenal of security tools. Spanning a variety of functions like threat detection, email scanning, and anti-malware applications, their uses are critical to smoother day-to-day operations.
As part of your cybersecurity assessment, your security software needs to be analysed to ensure they’re up-to-date, are doing what they’re supposed to, and above all, are necessary for your operations. Businesses may often be missing certain types of security software that’s crucial to the work they do.
A security assessment ensures that your host of software addresses the specific needs and requirements of your organisation.
Evaluating data security and access control
Another function of a cybersecurity assessment is to evaluate your data security processes and systems.
This assessment will look at whether your processes are secure and that your data is not susceptible to breaches. In this process, external auditors who have an extensive understanding of the industry will be able to determine whether your policies and practices are in line with industry standards.
Access control ensures that only the right personnel access data that’s strictly relevant to the work they do. An access control evaluation is also an effective way of managing employee rights and privileges when it comes to data control and security.
If your assessment is successful, you ensure that the data flow within your system is not vulnerable to cybercriminals. The audit also makes sure that access is granted in the right way and data security processes are implemented correctly to ensure maximum effect.
Find an external assessor you can trust
An external assessor is usually the consummate professional. These teams have a wide range of cybersecurity software at their disposal and enjoy a deep industry knowledge, which they bring to the table. Their expertise helps you detect gaps and security flaws in your systems and helps you ensure your defences are impenetrable.
RiskXchange in association with our partners offers a great selection of cybersecurity services who is experienced in handling cybersecurity assessments. RiskXchange in association with our partners has the expertise, resources, and skills required to secure your business data, systems, and operations. RiskXchange and our partners lowers the risk of cyberattacks and deals with potential cyber threats.