We live in a technological era where companies and private organisations need more and more computer systems to maintain a structure by market objectives.
These necessary technological resources are increasingly sophisticated and complex and provide more functionalities to organisations. At the same time, all this technology turns companies into increasingly vulnerable targets for possible cyberattacks.
Thus, it is increasingly essential to bet on a sound cybersecurity system.
How to know what computer security systems your company needs? The first thing you have to do is a cybersecurity audit.
What is Cybersecurity Audit?
A cybersecurity audit is one of the essential parts of a blocking system against a possible cyberattack, so it is of particular interest to know what it consists of and how we must do it to keep these cyber attacks away from the interests of our organization.
It is necessary to carry out this internal and external cybersecurity audit to check the security status of the company’s systems or applications. In these audits, the designs are checked against attacks or possible security breaches that may exist.
It must be a cyclical or periodic check since, in this way, it provides new information in every short space of time.
Carrying out periodic audits is not mandatory in all companies, especially those with a private profile.
Still, it is highly recommended to prevent or see possible problems with security systems in time. This type of cybersecurity audit promotes the improvement of systems in terms of good practices in these times of constant changes and technological renovations.
Which Companies Need a Cybersecurity Audit?
It is unthinkable today that there are companies that do not depend on information technology; therefore, any company, whatever its size in terms of several employees or a wide range of operation, all have to a greater or lesser extent, the possibility of suffering any cyber attack.
As many cybersecurity experts say, currently, large companies are the ones that are aware of this problem. It is essential to show that reality is different. Whether the company’s size, be it small, medium, or large, they are all exposed to receiving a cyberattack where their hard drives are entered.
They can lose all the essential data for the company, with all the consequences.
For this reason, every company should conduct a cybersecurity audit. To know the possible vulnerabilities that our company may have without being aware of it.
These can include both the physical security of the company and the computer systems or both security systems at the same time.
Steps to Follow to Perform a Cybersecurity Audit
To carry out a cybersecurity audit, it is advisable to follow these steps to carry it out successfully.
Mark Target
The first thing to set is the objective of the cybersecurity audit to be carried out. Carrying out a cybersecurity audit to validate a standard is not the same as carrying it out to verify that the required cybersecurity policy is being complied with.
Planning
Having clear the objectives of the cybersecurity audit, at this point, must plan the steps to follow. The services to be audited will be set, and the operating systems installed in the company will be identified.
Get Information
It is necessary to collect all possible information to evaluate how the company’s IT area works, the technologies, and the policies and protocol that are the objective of the cybersecurity audit.
Obtaining this information can be done through interviews with employees, reviewing documentation, analyzing software and hardware specifications, and using tools to measure the vulnerability and security of the company’s systems.
Analysis of The Situation
All the information collected up to this point has to be analyzed to find the vulnerabilities and flaws in the company’s systems.
Results Report
After this analysis and knowing the company’s actual state, a detailed report is made of the results that have been extracted from the audit. This report will explain the cybersecurity vulnerabilities that have been located and propose solutions and recommendations to solve them.
In addition, the recommended actions that the company must carry out in each of the critical points (in the face of cyberattacks) that have been found will be explained.
With this report, company managers will be able to know the actual state of their computer systems and their security policies.
This way, they will be able to make the decisions they consider appropriate to improve and increase their level of cybersecurity.
Types Of Cybersecurity Audit
Not all cybersecurity audits are the same. Internal or external audits can be differentiated. They differ depending on who performs the audit.
If they are done by people who work in the company itself, they are called internal, and when they are carried out by companies independent of the entity, they are considered external audits.
Audits According to Objective
They are cybersecurity audits that are differentiated according to the objective they pursue. The most commons are:
Forensic
These are cybersecurity audits carried out after a security incident has occurred. Its objective is to identify and collect digital evidence to establish the causes that have produced it.
Web
These audits aim to discover the security of applications and web pages that allow us to find any failure or vulnerability in their implementation.
Code
They are quality tests on computer applications (at the source code level) that allow knowing and identifying possible vulnerabilities in any software.
Ethical Hacking
The way to check the security measures is by putting them to the test, which is why this service is created. It is an intrusion test that uses the same hacking techniques and tools as attackers to test computer security.
Vulnerability Scan
Cybersecurity audits aim to detect possible security holes in applications in search of vulnerabilities but will also test the robustness of passwords.
Of Networks
On an Internet plagued by external attacks, network security must be a priority for your company. This type of audit will first focus on mapping the network to discover all connected devices.
Later it will be the moment in which firmware updates, antivirus signatures, and firewall rules will be verified and filtered by MAC address, VLANs to segregate traffic (DMZ), and the 802.1X protocol (RADIUS server) for WiFi networks and use of VPNs for specific servers and equipment.
Audits According to the Information Provided:
In this type, the auditors have all the knowledge and advanced access to the elements and infrastructures to be analyzed.
Gray Box Audit
In this case, the auditors have limited access to the organization’s systems and data. To carry out this type of audit, what is done is to simulate an internal cyber attack (as if it were an employee) with bad intentions.
Black Box Audit
There is no knowledge of any information or access in this audit. Here the auditor starts from the beginning and will try to discover the possible ways to get into the internal system from outside the company. In this case, the cyberattack to be simulated is external.
As we have already mentioned, performing cybersecurity audits will provide knowledge of your company’s vulnerabilities at the computer level. It will help prevent data loss or information theft, so it is essential to carry it out in all companies.
To carry out this type of cybersecurity audit, it is not always easy to do it from the inside. To apply it, you can look for a specialized partner that generates trust and thus accompanies you throughout the development of the cybersecurity system.
