Cyber-attacks are getting frequent every day. If you own a business, it is apparent that it has a fair share of digital presence. If you are into IT, it would be best for your business to conduct audits to your cybersecurity. As we all have heard, “prevention is better than cure,” we are suggesting the same if you are conscious about your business from online threats.
So, in this article, we will discuss some critical internal auditing steps that everyone should make. No, we will not discuss external audits, which costs a significant amount of money. Whatever we propose are all internal, and it takes the help of the company employees to perform. So, let us dive in:
Also Read: How Internet Service Providers (ISPs) Improve Cybersecurity?
How to Run a Cybersecurity Audit to Protect Data
So, here are some cybersecurity audits to protect your data:
1. Plan the Audit Segments
For those wondering how the word “Planning” can be a step as it is the first thing that everyone does, it comes down to which areas you want to perform the auditing. That means you should make a list of areas where you will do the auditing. Of course, what we suggest is to conduct thorough auditing in all segments, but we do understand it can be problematic. So, set your priorities straight.
It is a no-brainer that you should first check out the IT division, and everything that is directly web-based. Then we suggest you dive into the core operations. By planning, we mean every area of your business should be on the list.
After that, start the audits based on your convenience. Make sure the areas that you are intentionally missing out should remain the high priority of the next audit.
2. Analyzing Potential Threats
While it is crucial to be prepared for every kind of online threat, it is equally prior that you should have an idea of the potential issue that you may face. It means you should know what kind of risk your business may face. There can be tons of variety with cybersecurity, such as DDoS attacks, malicious insiders, weak passwords, negligence, and many more.
So, while you are looking to plan a cybersecurity audit, you should keep in mind the kind of attacks your business can face. At the same time, it is equally important that you take the necessary action to prevent such activities.
Therefore, you should have a clear understanding of the threats that you might face. Only then you can take quick action at the right spending.
Also Read: How AI is Transforming Cybersecurity?
3. Hire an External Risk Analyst
One of the biggest problems, while you try to do an internal cybersecurity audit, is to do it by staying unbiased. Please understand while you run a business you hire employees, and they may do or take specific actions that can be hazardous for the company’s overall security. So, if you want to conduct an internal audit, you should hire someone else who can assess the threats staying unbiased.
Understand that we are not suggesting you should carry out entire external auditing. Instead, we are recommending only to analyze the current status to get the best results. Based on that, you should ask every department to do specific jobs to keep the security levels clear of online threats. On top of that, you will also get an idea of which area you should improve.
4. Get Information of all the Connected Devices
If you run an office, you should be aware of how many devices are connected in the network. That includes the number of access points, routers, workstations, and all the peripherals. Most of the company’s security levels go down in this segment. Many employees take undue advantage of the network and connect their personal devices which can cost a loss to the company.
So, we suggest the companies should restrict the use of networks strictly to work purposes and with proper authorization. There is a need for employee auditing to make sure no use of unauthorized access from the IT department. Most hackers take advantage of such negligence from the company’s end; so, you should consider this option seriously.
Also Read: Know about the Types of VPN and VPN Protocol
5. Deploy Actions Where Needed
You can only call auditing successful in two scenarios – one; there are no threats detected, and two, where the risks are dealt with precision. In most cases, the chances of identifying a threat is always high.
Now, it would be up to you what do you want to do about it. Sometimes, the report may end up spending a ton for improving the entire security system, whereas you may find statements stating an incompetent IT team that needs an immediate change.
Either way, you must be ready to take such decisions if you want to sustain in the long run. However, it is not black and white straight away. There are alternatives to expensive programs, and there are ways to deal with incompetent employees without terminating them. You should, however, take decisions and make sure you won’t compromise the security levels for anything.
Conclusion
Maintenance is a serious matter that we often don’t bother. Periodic checking of the cybersecurity audit will only guaranty a hassle-free time ahead. Therefore, we suggest you conduct audits maintaining all the guidelines we mentioned today. “Better safe than sorry!”
