Craig Pearson
At Your IT Department, we understand that navigating cyber security can be overwhelmingโthat’s why we’ve put together our top 15 best practices for a cyber security audit. Whether you’re a small business or a large enterprise, scheduling in regular audits not only protects your sensitive data but also helps you meet industry regulations and safeguard your operations.
Letโs explore the key steps every business should take to ensure their cyber security posture is strong, resilient, and built for long-term success.
What is a Cyber Security Audit Checklist?
A cyber security audit checklist is a simple yet powerful way to make sure your business is secure from online threats. Itโs a step-by-step guide that helps you review everything from your software updates to how your data is protected and who has access to it.
By following this checklist, you can assess and improve your cyber security measures, spot any weak points in your system, and fix them before they turn into bigger problems.
A well-organised audit checklist isnโt just about protecting your businessโitโs also about staying on top of industry regulations and showing your clients and stakeholders that their data is in safe hands.
Types of Cyber Security Audits
Cyber security audits come in various forms, each serving a unique purpose in protecting your business. These can all be included in a cyber security assessment. Here’s a breakdown of the most common types:
1. Compliance Audits
Compliance audits ensure your business meets industry regulations. They focus on verifying that your security practices align with legal standards, helping you avoid fines and build trust with clients. Some cyber security audits focus on compliance alone, whilst others also involve verifying that your security controls are working using the techniques below.
2. Vulnerability Assessments
Vulnerability assessments scan your systems for potential weaknesses, such as outdated software or gaps in your security. During this type of audit, security tools are used to scan your network and applications, pinpointing areas that could be exploited by hackers.
3. Risk Assessments
Risk assessments evaluate the likelihood and impact of potential cyber threats to your business. This helps you prioritise security efforts where theyโre needed most. By understanding the risks specific to your business, you can make informed decisions to strengthen your security posture.
Why Your Business Needs a Cyber Security Audit
Conducting regular cyber security audits gives you a proactive approach to risk management, allowing you to make informed decisions about your cyber security strategy. As the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) highlights:
"The starting point of risk management is accepting that risk canโt simply be abolished. Risk must be recognised and then managed in some way; classically to either avoid, accept, treat or transfer risk."
Undertaking a cyber security audit means taking the first step towards recognising any risks that you’re dealing with, so that you can manage them, and avoid any further risks as much as possible.
Let’s go into more detail on why cyber security audits are important.
Identifying Vulnerabilities
One of the key reasons your business needs a cyber security audit is to identify vulnerabilities before they can lead to a security breach. Common vulnerabilities include outdated software and weak passwords. For example, in the healthcare sector, medical devices that go without updates can become a major security risk.
Ensuring Compliance with Regulations
The Data Protection Act 2018 sets clear rules on how businesses must protect and manage data. If these security measures arenโt in place, companies can face serious fines. For example, British Airways faced a ยฃ20 million penalty because they didnโt have the proper security measures required under the Data Protection Act, leading to a data breach.
We recommend gaining the Cyber Security Essentials Plus certification and reviewing ISO/IEC 27001 standards to stay up-to-date.
Protecting Sensitive Data and Customer Information
As we’ve covered, a cyber security audit is essential for protecting your businessโs most valuable asset: customer information. But itโs not just customer data at risk. Your own businessโs systems and data also need protection from data breaches, even if you don’t believe them to be valuable, with cybercriminals using ransomware to hold data hostage becoming more common.
Cyber Security Audit Checklist
Our cyber security audit checklist will take you through everything you need to check in your operating systems, why they’re important, and how to implement them.
1. Develop and Review a Cyber Security Policy
Your cyber security policy is the foundation of your companyโs security efforts. It ensures everyone knows their role in keeping things secure. This policy should clearly outline whoโs responsible for what and explain how to respond to any incidents. On top of that, make sure you have clear rules about who can access your systems remotely and from which devices.
2. Prioritise Password Protection
Encourage your employees to create complex passwords, combining upper and lower case letters, numbers, and symbols. Implementing password policies that require changes to passwords can help ensure that they stay secure over time.
Consider using password managers to securely store and generate strong passwords for your team as well. These tools can help employees avoid using weak or repetitive passwords across multiple platforms.
3. Ensure Software and Hardware Are Up to Date
Keeping both your software and hardware up to date is key to avoiding potential security risks. For businesses using older systems, itโs especially important to have a patch management strategy, which refers to updates. Legacy systems may no longer get automatic updates, so youโll need to manually apply patches or plan for phased upgrades. Regularly check for updates, install patches as soon as theyโre available, and make sure your hardware meets modern security standards to reduce vulnerabilities.
4. Set Up Strong Access Controls
Access controls are the rules that decide who can see or use certain parts of your system. One way to strengthen this is by using multi-factor authentication (MFA). This means that even if someone has your password, theyโll still need another form of identification, like a code sent to your phone, to get in.
Role-based access control (RBAC) can also be implemented, which simply means giving people access to the systems they need based on their job. For small businesses, this can be done in broader strokes (e.g., all sales staff have access to the CRM), while larger organisations need more specific rules.
In addition to digital measures, physical security is also important for protecting physical infrastructure from unauthorised access.
5. Encrypt Sensitive Information
Encryption is a way of scrambling information so that only the intended recipient can read it. Imagine sending a letter in a code that only the receiver has the key toโthis is essentially what encryption does for your data.
Different types of encryption exist for different needs and can be provided by cyber security consultants or specialist encryption companies.
6. Perform Regular Vulnerability Assessments
A vulnerability assessment is like a health check for your businessโs security. It looks for weaknesses in your systems that hackers could take advantage of. This could include anything from outdated software, missing security updates, or misconfigured settings. By finding these vulnerabilities before hackers do, you can address them proactively.
7. Keep an Eye on Network and Log Activity
Network and log monitoring means keeping track of all the activity on your businessโs network to detect and respond to cyber attacks. These logs are like a security camera feed for your digital systemsโby regularly reviewing them, you can catch potential threats early.
8. Use Intrusion Detection and Prevention Systems
Intrusion Detection Systems (IDS) and Intrusion Prevention Systems (IPS) are tools that help detect and stop cyberattacks in real-time. Think of IDS as your digital burglar alarmโit notices when someone is trying to get in where they shouldnโt. IPS takes it a step further by not only detecting the intruder but also stopping them before they can cause any harm. These can be deployed onto your systems by IDS and IPS providers, or by a fully managed service provider, like Your IT Department.
9. Set Up a Firewall and Antivirus
A firewall acts like a security gate between your internal network and the outside world. It blocks unwanted traffic from getting into your systems, protecting you from cyber attacks. Youโll want to regularly review your firewall settings to ensure they fit your business needs. In addition to a firewall, having reliable antivirus software is essential to detect and remove any viruses, should they get onto your system.
10. Ensure Secure Remote Access for Staff
A VPN (Virtual Private Network) creates a safe, encrypted connection between your employeesโ devices and your businessโs network, protecting the data being sent even when theyโre working from public places like cafes. Another option is using a cloud platform like Microsoft 365, which allows your team to access files and systems through a web-based service. This is a flexible solution which can be configured to include extra security measures.
11. Have a Backup and Disaster Recovery Plan
A solid backup and disaster recovery plan is essential in case of a breach or system failure. Regularly scheduled backups, tested often, ensure you can restore data quickly when needed. Keep your disaster recovery plan documented and accessible to key team members so everything can be restored with minimal downtime if the worst happens.
12. Provide Regular Cyber Security Training for Employees
Your employees are one of the most important parts of your cyber security strategy. Mistakes happen, and Verizon reports that 68% of security breaches involved someone making an error or falling for a scam like phishing. By giving your staff regular training on how to spot and avoid these tricks, you can greatly increase their security awareness and reduce the risk of human error leading to an incident.
13. Check Your Suppliers Security Standards
If you work with third-party suppliers, itโs important to ensure their security practices are up to scratch. They could unintentionally bring security risks into your business if their systems arenโt secure. Make sure you check this and set clear security requirements in contracts.
14. Secure Mobile Devices and Endpoints
With employees working from laptops, smartphones, and tablets, securing mobile devices and endpoints is vital. Mobile Device Management (MDM) software helps you enforce security policies, manage encryption, and even remotely wipe data from lost or stolen devices. With more businesses allowing Bring Your Own Device (BYOD), itโs important to ensure all personal devices accessing your network are properly secured to avoid potential risks.
15. Maintain an Accurate Asset Inventory
An asset inventory is a complete list of all the devices, software, and equipment connected to your network. This includes IoT devices (Internet of Things) like smart printers or thermostats, which often have fewer built-in security protections. By keeping track of everything on your network, you can ensure each device is updated and secure, preventing vulnerabilities from slipping through the cracks.
Common Cyber Security Threats Addressed by an Audit
What are the most common cyber security risks that an audit can help you with?
- Phishing attacks โ The most common threat, with 84% of businesses experiencing phishing attempts, according to the Government’s Cyber Security Breaches Survey 2024. Phishing tricks employees into revealing sensitive information or clicking malicious links. Audits often reveal gaps in email security and employee awareness, prompting businesses to implement stronger defences like multi-factor authentication and staff training.
- Impersonation attacks โ In these attacks, cybercriminals pretend to be someone you trust, like a company executive or vendor, to trick employees into sharing sensitive information or making bank transfers. An audit can expose gaps in your communication protocols and lead to stronger verification processes, making it harder for attackers to impersonate trusted individuals.
- Ransomware โ In a ransomware attack, hackers lock your data or prevent access to your IT systems and demand a payment to release it. During an audit, businesses can evaluate their recovery processes to ensure that data is regularly backed up and can be restored quickly if needed.
- Malware โ Malware, or malicious software, is designed to damage or gain unauthorised access to your systems. It often enters through infected emails or websites. Regular audits can help you spot outdated antivirus software or weak defences, so you can update your security and keep malware out.
- Emerging threats โ New threats, such as advanced supply chain attacks (which is when when hackers infiltrate your network through a third-party vendor), are always evolving. Regular audits keep you ahead of these new risks by identifying vulnerabilities early, so your business is ready to face whatever comes next.
Best Practices for Conducting Cyber Security Audits
Here are our recommendations for best practices in conducting cyber security audits.
Frequency and Scheduling of Audits
It’s good practice to conduct a full cyber security audit at least once a year. However, industries like healthcare or finance, or those with a high risk profile, may require more frequent auditsโevery six months or even quarterly. Audits should also always be done after major system changes to maintain security.
Tailoring Audits to Your Business Needs
Different industries face different cyber risks, so audits should be tailored to reflect your business’s specific needs. For example, in healthcare, the focus is on protecting patient data under NHS standards and UK data protection laws.
Involving Key Stakeholders in the Audit Process
While IT usually handles the technical side of a cyber security audit, like finding software vulnerabilities, other stakeholders also play a role. For instance, HR can review how well staff training is working and whether employees are finding it useful. They can then share this feedback with the IT team, helping to strengthen overall security.
Your IT Department: Security Audits Without the Jargon
At Your IT Department, our aim is to make cyber security audits simple, accessible, and highly effectiveโwithout drowning you in technical jargon. We donโt just deliver an audit; we work with you to ensure that you fully understand the findings and the steps needed to protect your business.
What sets us apart? Hereโs why businesses choose us:
- Unlimited Support โ Our support doesnโt stop after the audit. Weโre here to provide continuous, ongoing help whenever you need it. If issues pop up, weโre ready to tackle them.
- Proactive Monitoring โ We go beyond just automated systems. Our team of experts actively monitors your IT infrastructure, combining human insight with advanced technology to catch issues early.
- Personalised Solutions โ Every business is different, which is why we tailor our audits to meet your specific needs. Whether you’re a small business or a larger organisation, our solutions are designed with your objectives in mind.
- Jargon-Free Communication โ We pride ourselves on explaining everything in simple, practical terms. Youโll always know exactly whatโs going on with your IT security.
Ready to strengthen your cyber security posture? Get in touch with us today, and weโll create a proactive plan that keeps your business safe.
Frequently Asked Questions
Here are our responses to a few of the most frequently asked questions regarding cyber security audit checklists.
Can Small Businesses Benefit from Cyber Security Audits?
Yes, small businesses benefit from cyber security audits. While small businesses might think they’re not a target, cybercriminals often focus on them because they tend to have fewer security measures in place. A cyber security audit can be scaled to fit your business’s size and budget, focusing on crucial areas like protecting customer data, controlling who has access to sensitive information, and improving staff awareness. Even a simpler audit can uncover risks you might not have noticed and help you secure your business without breaking the bank.
How Long Does a Cyber Security Audit Take?
For a smaller business, a basic audit might only take a few days, covering essential areas like updating software and reviewing your firewall. However, larger organisations with more complicated setups may need several weeks for a thorough audit, especially if it involves more detailed processes like penetration testing or compliance checks. Keep in mind, the audit doesn’t stop when the review is doneโthereโs often follow-up work needed to implement any recommended improvements.
How Often Should You Conduct a Cyber Security Audit?
A good rule of thumb is to run a full cyber security audit at least once a year, but the frequency depends on your industry, risk profile, and the type of data you handle.
