While Cyber Security Audit and Cyber Security Assessment may mean formal processes in which companies take to determine the strength of their systems against attack, these two differ.
The purpose of an audit is to act as a checklist to the organization’s security infrastructure and policy and how they are applied. A team of third-party technology experts conduct an organizational review to ensure that the security infrastructure and the policies are being followed to the dot. In this process, employees are interviewed regarding security roles and other relevant details.
However, these experts may not test the effectiveness of control measures and the policies. This calls for the cyber security assessment.
Cyber security is very pertinent to many organizations and corporate businesses where information technology the lifeline of all operations. Here is why it is important.
Need for Audit and assessment
System reliability & security: Most large companies in Uganda and allover the world are making heavy investments in IT infrastructure because of the benefits to their operations and services. However, these IT systems and infrastructure must be reliable, secure and not vulnerable to hacking, spywares among other risks, this calls for audit and assessment.
Risk Reduction: IT audit also helps to reduce risks of data tampering, data loss or leakage, service disruption, and poor management of IT systems. Audit provides feedback on the most at risk routes into your company or application. Experts will try to get into your system by any means possible, like a real world attacker would. This could reveal lots of major vulnerabilities help you with feedback on prioritizing any future security investment.
Standard compliance: Here, auditing firms will test your system adherence to International and National standards such as ISO27001 (International) NISF (Ugandan). They will asses organizational compliance with these tested standards. Compliance helps in improving effectiveness of operations, compliance with applicable laws and regulations and effectiveness in effective financial reporting.
Identifying threats potential: Cyber security audit and assessment helps to identify dangers that have the potential to impact system security such as human threats (e.g., carelessness, human error, espionage, sensitive data disclosure, social media exploits, sabotage, fraud), to environmental threat (e.g., power/heating, ventilating, air conditioning [HVAC] fluctuation, cable cuts, theft, sensitive media disposal, server rooms, broken water pipes, fire), to technical threats (e.g., lack of logging, malicious code, unauthorized access, session takeover, mobile media loss, hardware/software failure, remote access).
Vulnerability identification: System vulnerabilities are extremely critical to the risk evaluation process. They provide the opportunity for an exploit to occur; logically, therefore and by definition, without a vulnerability present there is no risk, while with a vulnerability the risk can be potentially tremendous. Many of these vulnerabilities in system software, procedures and internal controls are the result of a control not being applied.
Determine risk level: Audit and assessment helps to examine the likelihood of risk occurrence and the impact. Therefore, the organization has the opportunity to mitigate the risk through the application of additional controls.
Risk response: When risk evaluated is at the level where attention is needed (e.g., a high or medium risk, or a combination of multiple types of low risk), management must decide which approach to take. Audit and assessment therefore help in achieving that objective.
Cyber security is key to the operation of organizations. However owing to the fact that cyber threats evolves daily, the risks are broader. At Encrypt Uganda, we offer security audit and assessment services. Get in touch with us today to help you strengthen the security of your ICT infrastructure and policies.