Contact us anytime to know more — Abhishek P., Founder & CFO CISIN
How can an organization ensure effective security practices that remain vigilant against threats to security? IT audits provide security professionals, IT specialists, auditors and risk managers a tool to assess an organization's overall security posture.
Security audits provide organizations and their personnel with an insight into cybersecurity risks within their environment and whether or not they're prepared to face potential vulnerabilities, such as social engineering and vulnerabilities. Discover some common security auditing processes as well as ways to begin this journey.
What Is A Security Audit?
Security audits (also referred to as cybersecurity audits) are comprehensive evaluations of an organization's information systems, typically measuring security against industry best practices as well as externally established guidelines.
A security audit also assesses an organization's controls relative to:
- Physical components and environments within which your system exists.
- Your system administrators have implemented software including security patches as well as vulnerabilities in network configuration such as public access firewalls or private firewalls that system security measures must address.
- Human FactorHow are employees sharing and collecting highly sensitive data? Security policies, organizational charts and risk assessments all form part of an overall security strategy.
Want More Information About Our Services? Talk to Our Consultants!
What Serves As A Security Audit's Primary Objective? Why Is It Crucial?
An IT security audit provides your organization with an in-depth map of its main weaknesses in information security, pinpointing where you may not meet internal criteria and where gaps remain in risk management plans and mitigation procedures.
Security audits may prove particularly valuable for firms handling confidential or sensitive data that need risk analysis and mitigation plans in place.
Successful security audits provide your team with a clear picture of the current security posture within your organization, along with enough detail for remediation and improvement efforts to begin immediately.
Security-centric audits may also serve as formal compliance reviews by third-party auditors for certification against ISO 27001 or for receiving SOC 2 attestation, for instance.
Security audits provide your organization with fresh insight into IT security strategies and practices, whether conducted internally by an audit function within your organization or externally by a professional auditor.
Security policies within your company could also be examined closely to gain new perspectives about where more controls could be implemented to streamline processes or combat cyber threats from all directions - including internal attacks, which need to be properly addressed with multifaceted cybersecurity approaches that include audits as essential tools in maintaining an efficient information security program.
Penetration Testing and Vulnerability Assessments VS. Security Audits
Security audits cover more topics than vulnerability or penetration assessments do; an audit could involve one of both in order to properly understand security vulnerabilities and gaps in an organization's system, using ethical hackers who attempt to breach your defenses to find vulnerabilities; scanners can then run scans against that system to uncover known vulnerabilities - all three can become invaluable security weapons when used consistently by an organization's cyber team.
An effective security audit must assess firewall configurations and protections against malware, antivirus software, data protection measures and access controls, as well as authentication and change management policies within an organization.
In contrast to penetration tests or vulnerability assessments, audits take an in-depth look at how security management takes place within it - this can have a dramatic effect on its efficacy and the overall success of security programs.
Why Security Audit?
Security auditing can take many forms and use various standards; however, when conducted successfully, there are certain steps that you should follow to conduct one effectively.
A security audit should include an assessment of the entire IT infrastructure, including operating systems, servers, communication tools and digital sharing, applications storage processes and third-party service providers - not simply OS, server software etc. When performing one, you should follow certain steps such as those outlined here:
- Establish the Security Audit Criteria: mes Make use of these criteria to create a list of controls you'll evaluate and test, such as internal policies and procedures that pertain to cybersecurity that should be examined as part of this security audit process. Verify whether your company meets requirements set by SOC 2 audit or ISO 27001 certification audits by monitoring these processes throughout their execution.
- Evaluation of Staff Training: Human error increases dramatically when multiple people can access sensitive data. Make a list of employees with access to sensitive data who have received IT Security/Cybersecurity training as soon as they've started work - continue training any who still require instruction; many cybersecurity frameworks mandate minimum levels of security training for most, if not all, employees.
- Retrospective Log Review and Responding to Events: Conduct an in-depth audit log review. Logs can help ensure only individuals with permission to access restricted data are accessing it, using appropriate security procedures as they should. Audit logs also serve an invaluable purpose during incident response, root cause analysis or any other analysis process within organizations - they should always adhere to company policies in keeping. Monitoring logs to detect incidents or anomalous events is no longer enough; response teams must also be ready to react if monitoring software or personnel identify an irregularity, while standard operating procedures and templates for frequently occurring events help simplify compliance audits and IT security audits.
- Determine Vulnerabilities: Your security audit should provide insight into some of the more obvious vulnerabilities before conducting a vulnerability assessment or penetration test, for instance, if an outdated patch remains active for too long or employee passwords haven't been changed in over 12 months. Security audits help make vulnerability assessments and penetration tests more accurate and efficient as they help identify any gaps that exist within an organization's security policies that need addressing as quickly as possible.
- Protect from Harm: Once you've identified and addressed all weaknesses within your organization and verified staff training and compliance with policies and protocols, ensure the organization has internal controls in place to help combat fraud and ensure users don't access sensitive data unwarily; check that wireless networks and encryption tools have been updated, antivirus software installed on networks as well as having annual security audits carried out to make sure policies continue working correctly and can withstand audit.
Why Do Companies Need Security Audits?
Regular security audits are important for companies in order to protect clients' private information properly, adhere to federal regulations, avoid liability and costly fines and remain compliant with new security requirements like HIPAA or SOX that change frequently and ensure they avoid liability or costly fines.
Periodic security audits of organizations also help ensure their compliance with any new security requirements that emerge; periodic internal and external security audits company audits will help confirm if an ISO 27001 certificate or SOC 2 attestation renews with minimal costs over time and allow compliance audits as part of these renewal processes.
How Do You Perform A Security Audit?
How you conduct an IT security evaluation depends upon the criteria used to assess them. At the same time, audit steps vary according to whether the auditors involved are internal or external.
An audit involves interviewing stakeholders to ascertain sensitive data and to establish effective safeguards to protect it. Interviews may also cover other aspects of IT infrastructure, including perimeter firewalls or past incidents; auditors conduct "walkthrough" interviews, while some auditors might even wish to watch controls at work in action.
Expect the security audit team to request logs and documents, such as security policies and checklists, for review by looking over these artifacts to see whether security policies have been adhered to.
Cybersecurity auditors may choose to conduct penetration tests and vulnerability scans as part of an audit or use automated technologies for specific procedures.
Today, there are numerous computer-assisted audit techniques (CAATs) on the market that enable automating audit processes.
CAATs automate each step in an audit procedure while searching for vulnerabilities and automatically creating reports - it is always wise for an IT specialist or trained manager to review these reports after being created by CAATs.
Security audits conducted within an organization depend on its goals, with auditing being done either internally by internal audit department staff or third-party firms like audit firms; third-party auditors often need to conduct third-party reviews when seeking certifications or attestations.
Both internal and external cybersecurity audits offer their distinct advantages: external auditors often bring fresh perspectives. In contrast, inside auditors know exactly where your systems and controls stand, allowing them to optimize processes while developing strong relationships with stakeholders.
How Often Should Security Audits Be Performed?
Security audits vary based on the scope, size and requirements set by regulatory agencies or laws that regulate business.
At a minimum, annually - often more frequently for larger firms - security audits should take place. However, many organizations conduct them more frequently due to potential consequences from a data breach, such as reputational harm, legal liability claims or even criminal charges against your business.
Regular security audits provide the best chance at avoiding issues altogether, with compliance management tool keeping track of computer-generated reports, audit steps performed, as well as updates in external regulations updates.
Read More: Implementing Network Security Monitoring Solutions
Secure Network Infrastructure Devices
Network infrastructure refers to those components of a computer network that support communication for applications, data, multi-media services, services and other forms of information transfer.
They typically consist of routers and switches as well as servers, load balancers, intrusion detectors, domain name systems, storage area networks and firewalls.
- Cybercriminals see devices used by businesses as being ideal targets since most of their organizational and client traffic must pass through them.
- Hackers with access to an organization's gateway routers have the potential to alter and restrict all traffic entering or leaving its premises.
- An insider with access to an organization's internal switching and routing infrastructure could easily monitor traffic going to certain hosts as well as take advantage of trust relationships to move laterally.
- Credentials can easily be acquired by malicious cyber actors from organizations and individuals using non-encrypted legacy protocols for managing hosts and services; those in charge of controlling networks have ultimate control of their routing infrastructure.
What Are The Security Risks Associated With Devices Used For Network Infrastructure?
Attackers often seek out network infrastructure devices because they're easy targets for attacks. Unfortunately, once installed, they may not receive the same level of maintenance and protection as desktops or servers do, making these vulnerable due to factors including:
- Few network devices--especially small office/home office and residential-class routers--come equipped with antivirus, integrity maintenance and other security tools that protect general-purpose hosts on a network.
- Manufacturers produce network devices designed for easy installation, operation and maintenance; many owners and operators of networking devices do not regularly harden default settings to increase security or patch them regularly.
- Once a piece of equipment or vendor support ceases, internet service providers often refuse to replace it. When owners and operators investigate an intrusion incident, they often forget network devices in their search for cyber intruders.
What Can Be Done To Improve Security On Network Infrastructure Devices?
Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency encourages network administrators and users to follow these recommendations to enhance the security of network infrastructure.
Segmenting And Segmenting Networks And Functions:
Segmentation and separation are critical considerations for security architects. Network segmentation can be an effective means of stopping an attacker from dispersing exploits across an internal network and moving laterally within it.
A poorly segmented network could allow intruders to extend their impact by controlling critical devices, accessing sensitive information, gaining control of critical infrastructures or gaining entry to intellectual properties that belong to someone else, etc. Segregating networks according to role or function reduces the risks posed by malicious events happening within them.
Separation By Physical Separation Of Sensitive Information:
Routers are powerful devices used to partition Local Area Networks (LANs). Routers allow organizations to set boundaries between networks, expand broadcast domains and filter broadcast traffic - which in turn helps limit security breaches as organizations use these boundaries to restrict traffic flow to various segments and even close off portions of their networks to limit adversary access.
Recommendations
- As you design network segments and layers, always follow the principles of least privilege and need-to-know.
- Keep sensitive data separate while adhering to security guidelines and recommendations.
Virtual Separation Of Sensitive Information:
As technologies advance, new strategies to bolster network security and information technology efficiency are being devised to combat threats to both.
The virtual separation between networks can be accomplished by isolating them logically on physical networks; virtual segmentation follows similar principles as physical segmentation but doesn't need extra hardware; existing technologies exist that prevent an intrusion from breaching internal network segments.
Recommendations
- Private Virtual Local Area Networks can be utilized to isolate an individual user from other broadcast domains.
- Virtual Routing and Forwarding technology (VRF), which enables network traffic division into separate routing tables on one router, may also be employed.
- Virtual Private Networks can extend a computer or host's network through tunneling over both public and private networks.
Reduce Unnecessary Lateral Communications:
Unfiltered peer-to-peer communications between workstations create serious vulnerabilities that allow network intruders to access multiple systems quickly and with ease.
Unfiltered communications on lateral sides enable attackers to establish beachheads into networks easily; intruders use backdoors for continued persistence in networks while hindering efforts by network defenders to find, eradicate and contain them.
Recommendations
- Apply host-based firewall rules to restrict communications and block packets coming from other hosts on the network. Firewall rules can also be set up to limit access to services or systems by filtering packets based on host devices, users, programs or IP addresses.
- Implement a VLAN Access Control List (VACL), which acts like a filter to restrict entry and exit into VLANs in order to keep packets flowing away from other VLANs and thus block their propagation.
- Split your network using virtual or physical separation methods; this enables network administrators to place critical devices on different network segments.
Harden Network Devices:
Securing network devices by configuring them with secure configurations is one of the foundational tenets of improving network infrastructure security.
Government agencies, organizations, and vendors offer guidance - benchmarks and best practices- aimed at hardening devices. It should be implemented alongside site security policies/standards/policies as well as laws/regulators/vendors as they dictated to administrators on this matter.
The following recommendations should also be adhered to for maximum efficacy:
Recommendations
- Removing unencrypted remote administration protocols. Reducing unnecessary services (discovery protocols, source routing protocols, HTTP(HTTP), Simple Network Management
- Protocol(SNMP), or Bootstrap Protocol).
- Avoid the use of SNMP Community Strings.
- Access to consoles, virtual terminals and auxiliary lines should be secured using password encryption with robust password policies in place. Remote control access of routers and switches using lists of restricted users as well as physical restrictions placed upon these devices should also be tightly managed to safeguard systems against security vulnerabilities.
- Backup configurations regularly, saving them offline for safekeeping. Install and apply all available patches on network devices and periodically test security configurations against requirements.
- Protecting configuration files when sending, storing and backing up is of utmost importance when sending files over networks or via backup storage services. Choose an encryption or access control solution as appropriate to protect configuration files during transmission or storage.
Secure Access to Infrastructure Devices:
Users with administrative privileges can gain access to resources not usually accessible. Organizations must limit administrative privileges on infrastructure devices, as intruders may exploit privileges that have not been properly authorized or audited.
At the same time, adversaries could potentially abuse compromised administrative privileges to gain entry to networks and increase control. By developing policies and procedures designed to guarantee secure access, organizations can reduce risks related to unauthorized access to infrastructure devices.
Recommendations
- Utilize multi-factor authentication (MFA). Authentication serves to verify a person's identity; attackers often take advantage of weak authentication methods. MFA protects from this by authenticating at least two components of identity, such as your password (e.g., "John Smith") or token (an object the user physically possesses).
- Manage privilege access. Store network device management data on a server offering authentication, authorization and accounting (AAA). An AAA server enables network administrators to set different privilege levels according to "least privilege," so if someone attempts to run unauthorized commands, they will be denied. Furthermore, implementing hard token servers (MFAA) could make it harder for hackers to gain entry by stealing and using credentials stolen elsewhere in order to gain entry.
- Manage Your Administrative Credentials If the MFA system in which you are operating does not conform with industry best practices, follow these steps: Change default passwords.
- Make sure your password contains at least 8 characters and may reach 64, in line with National Institute of Standards and Technology SP 800-63C Guidelines for Digital Identity as well as Canada's User Authentication Guideline for IT Systems ITSP.30.031V3.
- Check passwords against lists of prohibited values, such as commonly used, predictable and compromised passwords. Make sure all hashed and salted passwords are stored; emergency backup passwords should be stored securely outside the network in a place like a safe.
Out of Band Management:
OoB Management uses alternative communication paths to remotely monitor network infrastructure devices. The configuration of these dedicated communication paths may vary, from virtual tunneling up to physical separation.
By separating network management traffic and user traffic, OoB will improve security. OoB Management provides security monitoring, and it can take corrective action without the adversary being able to see the changes.
OoB can be managed physically, virtually, or a combination of both. Even though it can be costly to maintain and implement additional physical infrastructure, network managers should adopt this option because of its security.
Virtualization is cheaper but requires configuration and management. Virtual encrypted tunnels are the best option in some cases, like remote access.
Recommendations
- Separate standard network traffic from management traffic. Assure all management traffic comes from OoB.
- Encryption should also protect management channels and secure remote access devices like dial-in servers.
- All administrative tasks can be effectively controlled using an OoB-compatible, fully updated host computer that has been patched.
- By testing patches and turning off unneeded router and switch services, it is possible to harden your network management device.
- Logs should be reviewed to monitor network activity; access controls should only permit necessary administrative or management services.
Verify Integrity of Hardware & Software:
Gray market, counterfeit and secondary devices are terms used to refer to products bought outside legal channels and used illegally in commerce.
Media reports often depict gray market software and hardware being introduced into markets worldwide. Gray market hardware and software pose a risk to user data protection. Without rigorous testing processes in place, gray market products may introduce vulnerabilities into your network that threaten its integrity and privacy.
Risks associated with purchasing goods on the secondary market include buying counterfeit or stolen devices due to supply-chain breaches; furthermore, such breaches allow malicious hardware and software onto devices. Hardware or software that has become compromised can wreak havoc on any network's performance. It can compromise confidentiality, integrity and availability of devices in operation.
Malicious or unapproved programs could even be installed on these devices after launch - organizations should, therefore, regularly assess software integrity to protect themselves against these potential threats.
Recommendations
- Purchase only authorized sellers and enforce stringent controls over the supply chain.
- Demand that resellers enforce integrity in supply chains to verify hardware and software authenticity before installing.
- On completion, inspect for signs of tampering before validating serial numbers from multiple sources.
- Make sure that all software updates and patches come from reliable sources and check that values match those in the vendor database to detect unauthorized firmware modifications.
- On an ongoing basis, monitor and log devices in your network while verifying the network configuration settings of each one.
- Raise awareness among network administrators, owners and purchasing personnel regarding gray market devices.
Want More Information About Our Services? Talk to Our Consultants!
Conclusion
Reports will be prepared summarizing the results of your audit, outlining observations, recommended changes and additional details pertaining to your security program.
It could highlight security flaws or uncover previously undetected breaches; its findings could even form the basis of future cybersecurity risk management approaches. Auditors often rank findings according to priority; key business stakeholders must then decide upon this decision for alignment with strategic and goal objectives.
Combining internal and external audit criteria often yields the best results. A security audit compares IT practices within your company with relevant standards to detect any areas for improvement and make recommendations accordingly.
Auditors examine security controls to ascertain if they are adequate, confirm compliance with security policy, identify breaches and make suggestions based on what they discover during auditing sessions.
