Overcoming Cybersecurity Assessment and Audit Confusion

Cybersecurity has become the most critical concern of this digital world. We have seen 160 million data compromise victims in the latest reports, much higher than the previous year’s records. The primary reason behind this dramatic rise is unsecured cloud databases.

Don’t you think it’s a warning for all the companies out there in the market? Yes, it is but don’t think that nothing is safe in the internet world; it’s all about your security protocols and cybersecurity program that differs from company to company.

All you need to do first is do conduct a cybersecurity audit. Though many misunderstood cybersecurity audits with cybersecurity assessment, and there is nothing like this. Both the terms have different meanings and processes.

So, read this blog and clear your confusion between cyber assessment and audit. Additionally, you will learn what to implement when. Now, let’s dive in.

What is a Cybersecurity Assessment?

Cybersecurity assessment is a thorough investigation of cyber-related security risks to recommend best security practices. It is mainly used for IT and IT-related organizations only, and in some cases, it may be used for business units. Companies use this process to learn how secure their organization and systems are and the critical areas they need to work on. The person who will perform this assessment is a cybersecurity consultant or analyst.

How Does Cybersecurity Assessment Work?

The general method for conducting a cybersecurity assessment is as follows:

First, identify the relevant systems, processes, and data.
Perform a cybersecurity risk assessment by examining vulnerabilities, threats, and the likelihood of them occurring in the future.
Focus on cyber-related areas critical to business objectives and suggest recommendations for best security practices.
Ensure proper communication between management, IT team, security, and the analyst doing the assessment.
A suitable timeline must be set for conducting a cybersecurity assessment as it may take a few days or weeks depending upon its scale and methodology used.The reason behind recommending this process is that you will know how secure your organization concerns cyber threats. Plus, you can also estimate the potential cost of risk.
When Is Cybersecurity Assessment Conducted?

Though the process of conducting cybersecurity assessment is always ongoing. But it is usually done for the following events:

– Before applying a new IT system or network security technology.

– Before starting a new operation in any part of your organization.

– Before outsourcing or hiring new employees with access to critical data.

– When you need to comply with industry standards or a regulatory agency.

– When there is a significant infrastructure change within your organization.

Benefits of Cybersecurity Assessment:

– Helps companies identify the gaps in their cybersecurity and work on it.

– Helps estimate the financial losses because of poor security practices and lack of cybersecurity measures.

– Helps to develop a sound strategy against cyberattacks.

Also, know the drawbacks of cybersecurity assessment:

Conclusion:

I hope this article helped you better understand the difference between cybersecurity assessment and audit. There is no need to do both processes together as they’re different from each other. It also makes sense to carry out an audit if your organization is new to information security because it helps validate the effectiveness of security controls.

However, if you have experience in this field, conducting a review before making any significant changes would be sufficient. If you can do their assessment correctly, the costs involved will also be less compared to an audit.

Cybersecurity has become an essential concern of this digital world. We have seen 160 million data compromise victims in the latest reports, which is much higher than the previous year’s records. The primary reason behind this dramatic rise is unsecured cloud databases.

Don’t you think it’s a warning for all the companies out there in the market? Yes, it is but don’t think that nothing is safe in the internet world; it’s all about your security protocols and cybersecurity program that differs from company to company.