What Should You Do to Prepare for a Cybersecurity Audit?
What is the purpose of a cybersecurity audit?
A cybersecurity audit (also known as a cybersecurity assessment) is a valuable tool for finding critical flaws in your organization's cybersecurity architecture. These assessments assist businesses in determining what is on their network, what needs to be protected, and where gaps exist in their current security so that changes can be made.
However, despite the importance of cybersecurity compliance audits, many businesses are unprepared for them. Auditors will need access to a few specialised cybersecurity audit technologies offered by the organisation being audited in order to complete the assessment promptly. As a result, the auditee may need to make certain preparations ahead of time.
But, how can you prepare for a cybersecurity audit so that it can be performed swiftly and efficiently (while also making your cybersecurity audit and compliance team's life easier)?
However, despite the importance of cybersecurity compliance audits, many businesses are unprepared for them. Auditors will need access to a few specialised cybersecurity audit technologies offered by the organisation being audited in order to complete the assessment promptly. As a result, the auditee may need to make certain preparations ahead of time.
But, how can you prepare for a cybersecurity audit so that it can be performed swiftly and efficiently (while also making your cybersecurity audit and compliance team's life easier)?
2. Inquire with the auditor about who they need to speak with.
To gain a thorough view of your cybersecurity policies and architecture, the auditor will almost certainly need to talk with a subject matter expert or two within your firm. So, before the audit begins, ask the auditor which of your important stakeholders they will need to speak with during their investigation, and schedule a meeting for these individuals.
Furthermore, these professionals should arrive at the meeting with all of the tools they'll need to access your company's network and, if necessary, exhibit items to the auditor (such as their laptop computers, tablets, or other devices).
Having the correct viewpoints from within your firm can help speed up and simplify the cybersecurity auditing process.
3. Go over your information security policy with a fine tooth comb.
Every company should have an information security policy in place to create clear guidelines for managing sensitive information. It outlines the security measures that are in place to keep data secure, as well as the obligations that people within the company have when it comes to data management. All employees should be given access to the information security policy so that they are aware of their ethical and legal responsibilities while handling data in the course of their employment.
A data security policy, in general, focuses on three main components of data management:
Confidentiality: This explains the data privacy restrictions, specifying who is authorised to access information and what data cannot be released.
Integrity: This feature specifies the safeguards in place to ensure that data is kept intact, complete, and correct. It also explains how the data-management IT systems should be kept working.
Availability: This specifies how and under what conditions authorised users can access data.
High-risk data is defined as any information that is subject to compliance or legal constraints, such as financial or personal health information. Failure to protect this data with suitable security safeguards could result in large penalties or legal action against a company.
Confidential Data: This information is secured against illegal access and disclosure, even if it is not protected by law. This category is often used for any type of proprietary data or knowledge that, if compromised, could bring harm to a business.
4. Compile all of your cybersecurity policies into a single, easy-to-understand document.
While your cybersecurity audit team will most likely conduct interviews with your employees to assess their understanding of security, it can be beneficial for them to understand what your company's cybersecurity compliance standards are in the first place. Organizing all of the material related to your company's cyber security strategy and procedures into
a single resource can be really beneficial in this case.
The following are some documents to think about including:
Password policies – guidelines for creating passwords and information on enforcing them;
User account limitations are in place—how users are defined in the system by role, which roles have access to which systems/information, and so forth.
Access restrictions — whether you use dual-factor authentication, what authentication rules you have in place, and so on;
Workplace internet policies — which websites are blocked, how you monitor employee online usage, limits on downloading data from the internet, and so on);
Your incident response plan (IRP) – a set of actions to do and tools to employ in the case of various sorts of cyber-attacks.
This allows the auditor to have a better understanding of your company's overall cybersecurity awareness as well as identify any holes in your security policies and processes that need to be corrected.