Most Large Organizations Have Well Understood The Impact Of Cyber Security Mechanisms On Their Business.

This impact is more critical in the financial and banking fields because, in most cases, companies store large amounts of private data.

For this reason, this area is considered a valuable target for hackers. Therefore, organizations and companies in this field must define a detailed cyber security checklist to protect the organizational network best.

When was the last time you checked your network security status? These days, many people and organizations are worried about this issue, and their worry is entirely reasonable. What should they do to solve this problem?

Large organizations go to system logs and occasionally monitor network traffic. This level of assessment provides valuable information to cybersecurity experts but cannot give an accurate picture of what is happening. If you want to gauge the current state of your network’s security, you should perform an in-depth security audit, known as a “vulnerability test” or “security assessment.”

Network security audits are not formal. IT control audits at the operating system, application, and database levels. 

Preparing a network security audit checklist is one of the best practices for dealing with hacker attacks. On the contrary, they are exercises performed to discover security vulnerabilities in the network, hoping that vulnerabilities are detected before hackers exploit them. For this reason, you must adequately understand various security terms, especially security tests. A list should include multiple items. For example, what systems should be evaluated, what tools should be used for this purpose, and who will be involved in these evaluations?

Prepare a detailed checklist with a network security audit.

A network security audit is simple but practical and useful. A network security audit checklist can range from essential to complex testing, reporting, etc. When preparing a security checklist, you will be successful if you pay attention to one critical principle. You should use a proven method to discover security flaws to ensure you do things right. Suppose you are a network or security expert and have been assigned to protect the network and equipment under the web. In that case, we suggest you read this article to the end to know what points to pay attention to when creating a security checklist.

1. Define the scope of work to be done

When you plan to make a security checklist, you need to consider everything. The network security audit process includes the tools that may be used, the scope, by whom and when the tests should be performed, and so on. In the first step, find answers to the following questions:

Are you considering testing everything? Are you only looking to test internal systems, or are you planning to try external ones? External systems refer to the equipment of remote workers that connect to the corporate network from home.

What tools do you use for periodic testing? Standard tools in this field are Nessus, NetScanTools Pro, Netsparker, and Acunetix Vulnerability Scanner.

2. Training security topics to employees

Statistics show that users turn to various tools to achieve greater productivity and get things done faster without sufficient knowledge in the field of security. Devices that have not been tested by security experts, but are used by employees, increase the penetration rate of the network and make all the measures implemented by security experts ineffective against hacker attacks. In this regard, in most cases, employees commit unprofessional actions. For example, they write passwords on paper stuck to their monitor. Creating a security-oriented mentality and culture in the organization is the best way to eliminate the risk of human error.

3. Having a continuous training program for employees

Cyber ​​security should be the most critical category that the organization is concerned about. All the organization’s human resources should be fully aware of the security risks and the events that occur in the event of a security breach.

Employees must receive training on cyber attacks and information about security best practices, such as two-factor authentication and password management. In this case, hackers cannot hack their account quickly if it is hacked.

4. Monitoring the complexity of information technology processes

Whenever a change in work processes or new services is defined, all events must be documented so that information security experts can monitor the recent changes. As a general rule, it is recommended that you note when preparing the checklist that an integrated threat management system can automate much of this monitoring process.

5. Restrict access to data and applications

Access to information should only be entrusted to people with the necessary qualifications. More precisely, employees must have the required permissions to access resources based on their work. This policy should also be followed for physical access to hardware equipment.

6. Implementing data usage controls

Unsafe actions such as uploading data to the web, sending emails to unauthorized addresses, or copying external drives should be blocked.

7. Establish strict password policies

Password policies should clearly state that passwords should be changed at short intervals. Also, ensure that employees use passwords not written down anywhere. This is the easiest way to secure your data. Always remember that customer information should not be stored in places subject to disclosure. This endangers the reputation of the company.

8. Creating an inventory of hardware and software assets

One of the critical points when making a cybersecurity checklist is to make a complete list of all the organization’s assets. This helps to control the assets in the most accurate way possible because unless you know about the investments in the organization, you will not be able to prepare a detailed security checklist. Reducing a company’s vulnerabilities starts with a complete view of all networked devices.

Once all assets have been audited, we need a detailed plan for updating this list and determining what capabilities and tools we need to use to protect each purchase. In other words, we need to have an accurate account of all the devices in the company and ensure that this list is regularly updated whenever something is added. This takes away the chances of a successful attack from hackers.

9. Documentation of devices connected to the network

All devices capable of connecting to the network must be registered and secured. This includes laptops, cell phones, switches, access points, repeaters, bridges, hubs, and employee personal devices. Using tools to identify software and hardware that can connect to the network is better.

10. Guest network to connect customers and partners to third-party network

Creating guest networks for company offices and ensuring employees and customers connect to the organization’s subnet is better. In this case, clients will not be able to view sensitive organizational assets and will not be able to access private information.

11. Monitoring how users access the network and equipment under the network

Authentication errors and unauthorized access should be logged, and the network should be monitored for suspicious activity. It should also obtain detailed information about any unauthorized device connecting to the network. Also, access to any device running dangerous software is quickly cut off from the web.

12. Analysis, prioritization, and management of vulnerabilities

One of the essential points you should pay attention to when preparing a cybersecurity checklist is to analyze and manage exposures systematically. IT teams must perform full-time cybersecurity operations to identify vulnerabilities, identify suspected threats, and respond to malicious activity in real time. Only then will you have the ability to deal with risks. For this reason, it is essential to weigh the risks and take preventive measures.

13. Continuous analysis

Without implementing a full-time monitoring mechanism and continuous research, the chance to detect threats in the shortest possible time is lost. For this reason, security experts must continuously check the activities related to the organization’s network.

14. Identify and prioritize vulnerabilities

Another point that should not be overlooked when preparing a cybersecurity checklist is identifying and prioritizing vulnerabilities. Especially vulnerabilities that are critical and need to be patched. A practical solution in this field is the risk-oriented approach, which refers to managing exposures and the ability to identify and fix them in a structured way. When prioritizing vulnerabilities, remember to start with those with a high threat level and work your way down to less severe ones.

15. The need to pay attention to default settings and configurations

When preparing your cybersecurity checklist, don’t overlook the secure design of hardware and software installed on mobile devices, workstations, and servers. Statistics show that manufacturers of software and hardware products consider the default configurations for their products considering the user experience and ease of use. Simple controls, basic settings, outdated protocols, installation of additional software, and open software or hardware ports (switches) give hackers the green light to enter corporate networks. An important point to note in this regard is that employees should be trained on the requirements of installing anti-virus, anti-malware and automatic updates.

16. Storage, monitoring, and analysis of audit reports

Without reviewing audit reports, attacks may have been made on the corporate network without anyone noticing. To be more precise, hackers managed to enter the organizational network far from the sight of security experts. This state indicates that there are likely doors for more advanced attacks and exploitation of vulnerabilities available to hackers. IT teams should maintain audit documentation for resiliency so that these reports provide accurate information in the event of a data breach.

17. Reports, monitoring, and analysis of security risks

Without rigorous audits, companies are forced to resort to a time-consuming and expensive set of digital forensics measures to assess a cyber attack’s effectiveness accurately. In some cases, the preparation and storage of reports are admissible to courts of law and help companies demonstrate that they have correctly followed basic security principles.

18. Conducting detailed assessments to identify weaknesses in networks

Security experts can use managed vulnerability assessment services to understand the state of IT security and the organization’s risk. When companies keep detailed logs, they can look at them to understand what security incident happened and the best time to notify users. Accurately evaluating reports will help prevent similar attacks in the future.

19. Offsite data backup

In ransomware attacks, hackers who have stolen or locked data only allow victims to reaccess the data after paying a ransom. The best solution to avoid such a problem is to prepare a backup copy of sensitive data. Another advantage of data backup is that it is possible to restore data during a natural disaster or system failure. By backing up data, server downtime can be reduced by using a copy that is not infected with malware. The vital principle in this field is that the backup process should be regular so that a new version of the information is always prepared. In addition to backups, you should consider a disaster recovery plan to restore data and applications quickly. A cloud is a good option for storing backups.

20. Preparation of a quick response plan to events and incidents

Notifying customers about a security breach is a costly process. If the company is not held responsible for a cyber attack, the damage to the company’s reputation and the countless hours spent resolving the issue can be catastrophic for companies large and small. That’s why it’s essential to have an incident response plan for security breaches and to overcome the unexpected.

last word

Security experts are often asked what the most challenging thing about conducting a network security audit is. Some consider issues related to money and internal support; others lack knowledge as barriers to a proper security assessment. However, the biggest hurdles to network security auditing are two simple things: willingness and discipline. You must be willing to do what suits your business, customers, and business partners and do it consistently.

You can still conduct security assessments or outsource even when resources are limited. If you have a limited budget in this area and must use free tools, there is no need to worry.

Ensure your long-term goal is to do it professionally and use the best tools available. 

To this end, you must ensure you have correctly defined and followed data protection tools and policies to demonstrate compliance with the law during an audit.

For this purpose, hiring an employee to protect the data and conclude written agreements with external partners that ensure the company’s adaptability is possible. Also, it would be best to document all data security breaches to respond to the appropriate authorities when necessary.