Taking the First Step Towards Cyber Security: Conducting a Security Audit

Cybersecurity threats can come from inside or outside an organization. Externally, hackers, organized crime groups, and other tech-savvy predators may hijack a company’s electronic records. Even employees threaten a company’s cybersecurity from within by taking company records without permission or exposing a company’s network to malware by visiting unauthorized websites. Companies need to identify these threats and where they are vulnerable to them in order to protect themselves from cyber attacks. As a result, every business should conduct a cybersecurity audit to assess where it needs to improve.

Cybersecurity audits evaluate several “at risk” business areas where cyber threats can be detected and prevented. For instance, counsel will review employee handbooks and policies to ensure they properly govern employees’ use of the business’ computers or servers. From a technical standpoint, the auditor will review the company’s networks, servers, workstations, and hardware. Among these technological concerns are how employees remotely work computers and the amount of security already provided. The auditors should be requested to specifically identify where the system is vulnerable. Of course, an in-depth cyber security audit will entail more elaborate procedures (and attendant costs), but it is crucial that the entirety of a business be evaluated from its employees to its information exchanges

In addition to conducting a cybersecurity audit, setting up a committee or assigning a person to oversee cybersecurity audits will enhance the long-term value of the process. Those in charge could be the people monitoring a business’ physical security or personnel from the company’s IT department. Designating internal people to oversee cybersecurity issues will promote continuity and communication among the employees, management, and outside companies used in the auditing process.

For more information on how to conduct a cybersecurity audit (whether privately or through an IT company) or to implement a cybersecurity program within your organization, please contact Peter Brosse at pbrosse@meyersroman.com, 216-831-0042, ext. 144, or Isaac Figueras at ifigueras@meyersroman.com, 216-831-0042, ext. 188, or your Meyers Roman attorney.