Are necessary contracts and agreements regarding data security in place before we deal with the external parties? Do we have enough control measures and reviews in place before we allow access to external parties? IT Asset Management includes both the physical components such as network equipment, computing devices, etc. To keep active and accurate track of threats, you first need to know the number, type and general information of the asset usage. It is a great practice to maintain the asset information repository as it helps in active tracking, identification, and control in a situation where the asset information has been corrupted or compromised.
Read more on reducing IT asset related threats. Is there an associated asset owner for each asset? Is he aware of his responsibilities when it comes to information security?
It is entirely possible, with the number of different types of data being transferred between employees of the organization, that there is an ignorance of data sensitivity. Hence it becomes essential to have useful labels assigned to various types of data which can help keep track of what can and cannot be shared.
Information Classification is an essential part of the audit checklist. Is there a precise classification of data based on legal implications, organizational value or any other relevant category? This audit area deals with the specific rules and regulations defined for the employees of the organization. Since they continuously deal with valuable information about the organization, it is important to have regulatory compliance measures in place.
Processes for various scenarios including termination of employees and conflict of interest needs to be defined and implemented. Are proper processes for security awareness, education, and training in place? Are appropriate disciplinary actions defined in case of a breach? Are proper guidelines and processes for information security in place for people leaving the organization?
Even if the onslaught of cyber threats is becoming more prevalent, an organization cannot discard the importance of having a reliable and secure physical security parameter, especially, when it comes to things like data centers and innovation labs. Are the networking and computing equipment secure enough to avoid any interference and tampering by external sources? Phishing attempts and virus attacks have become very prominent and can potentially expose your organization to vulnerabilities and risk.
This is where the importance of using the right kind of antivirus software and prevention methods becomes essential. Another critical task for an organization is regular data backups. Apart from the obvious benefits it provides, it is a good practice which can be extremely useful in certain situations like natural disasters.
Are regular data and software backups happening? Security risk assessments are typically required by compliance standards, such as PCI-DSS standards for payment card security. Because of this, security risk assessments can go by many names, sometimes called a risk assessment, an IT infrastructure risk assessment, a security risk audit, or security audit. Security Risk Assessments are performed by a security assessor who will evaluate all aspects of your companies systems to identify areas of risk.
These may be as simple as a system that allows weak passwords, or could be more complex issues, such as insecure business processes.
The assessor will typically review everything from HR policies to firewall configurations while working to identify potential risks. For example, during the discovery process an assessor will identify all databases containing any sensitive information, an asset. That database is connected to the internet, a vulnerability. In order to protect that asset, you need to have a control in place, in this case it would be a firewall. You have now taken the first step in mitigating risk.
A Security Risk Assessment is vital in protecting your company from security risks. A security risk assessment provides you with the blueprint of risks that exist in your environment and gives you vital information about how critical each issue is. Knowing where to begin when improving your security allows you to maximize your IT resources and budget, saving you time and money.
Security Risk Assessments are deep dive evaluations of your company, or maybe even a specific IT project or even a company department. During the assessment, the goal is to find problems and security holes before the bad guys do.
The assessment process should review and test systems and people, looking for weaknesses. As they are found, they are ranked based on how big of a risk they are to the company.
That will help you to determine what to include in the policy for security purposes. Step 2: Check Security Training The audit checklist needs to contain the security training checks of the employees. In most organizations, there are protocols in place to have employees trained in security. This security training includes not only what to do during a physical emergency but also the things to be done to maintain the security of the assets of the company. Hence, make sure that the employees understand the accurate procedures to follow and the measures to take in the case of such emergencies.
Step 3: Check Building Access The next important item that must be included in the security audit checklist is building access.
Starting with the employees, you need to check who has access to the building and who does not. Make sure that all your employees do have access. Regarding visitors, you need to make sure that they are also checked. The essential thing to include here is to check to ensure that the entrances and the exits are all monitored and have surveillance cameras. Step 4: Check Identification Process The identification process is the next item on the list.
You need to make sure that all the employees working in the building goes through some sort of identification process to ensure that they actually work there. There also needs to be an identification process in place for visitors. Ensure that there are relevant security procedures in place for the identification processes. Some measures that you can use include ID cards , holographic images, watermark logo, etc. Step 5: Check the Surveillance System The surveillance system is a must on the security audit checklist.
For this item, you need to check the entire premises. The items to be included for security checks here include mainly the surveillance cameras. To do this, you need to check the footage of the cameras and ensure that they are updated and are placed in the correct locations. You also need to check if the parking lots and other closed areas of the building are well-lit or not. Step 6: Check the Hazardous Materials All corporate buildings have some sort of hazardous materials in place for use.
The security audit checklist needs to contain proper information on these materials. The details should include the name and title of the materials, their uses, the frequency of their use, and their current availability. The final thing to check is to see if these materials are kept in a safe environment. Annual Internal Security Audit Checklist seattle. A checklist for this security audit makes things simpler.
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