In today's interconnected world, network perimeter vulnerabilities are a reality that can allow unauthorized access to networks, potentially disrupting business operations. While many companies are aware of these vulnerabilities and take steps to address them, there are numerous new and old vulnerabilities that often go unnoticed. If these vulnerabilities are known, companies typically allocate resources to address them. However, many companies lack the resources or trained personnel to identify and rectify these vulnerabilities. Knowing about or being able to detect vulnerabilities is crucial, but failing to act on known issues can lead to significant security breaches.
Despite the potential risks, many companies do not prioritize information security as it does not directly generate revenue. However, as numerous headlines and trade journals have highlighted, the absence of a robust security program can negatively impact a company's bottom line. More organizations are now investing more resources into information security, starting with a risk assessment audit. If your company relies on the internet and was one of the many that missed the vulnerability exploited by the Code Red virus, you understand how a lack of an active security program can affect your bottom line.
When we think of audits, we often think of financially related IRS visits. They look for gaps in the integrity of income and expense reporting for individuals and companies. These audits are necessary because if the system, in this case, the tax system, has enough vulnerabilities, then the whole system fails. The same principle applies to information network security. Identifying and removing vulnerabilities in your information network is crucial, but it requires a trained professional.
Most often, security professionals trained in auditing are full-time in-house employees of only the largest companies. For most companies wanting thorough periodic audits, outsourcing to security professionals is the most cost-effective choice. Outsourcing offers many advantages, such as having a team of experts dedicated to current security matters, armed with proven best practices or entire methodologies, and equipped with a suite of security auditing products instead of a single commercial tool.
The deliverables of an audit should not only detail all of the current vulnerabilities but also prioritize what issues are important, document proven methodologies for remediating the vulnerabilities, and provide cost-effective methods to mitigate the risk. Most companies cannot afford to maintain the staff and application software necessary to conduct an audit at this level. Even those companies with a significant security budget often use an outsourced firm to validate their efforts.
Outsourcing audits also offer additional benefits such as recording an objective baseline and changes on a periodic basis, having a trusted security partner to turn to as issues arise, and the ability to meet industry requirements for objective third-party auditing. For those companies outsourcing audits as a secondary check, it also assists in justifying security budgets, by validating the current security-related expenditures.
While companies sometimes struggle with prioritizing security matters, there is a trend among technology executives to place a higher priority on network security. This emphasis applies to both internal and external audits and is particularly relevant for companies that heavily rely on the internet and business continuity.
Finding all of your vulnerabilities is increasingly difficult without a full suite of auditing tools. However, finding the vulnerabilities is only half the battle. Audit deliverables must include professional feedback on what issues are important, detailed and prioritized remediation efforts, and a description of how all of the effort and expense will affect the level of risk.
If you believe your systems environment could pass a security audit, but haven't had one, you might be surprised by a failing grade. If you have had an audit and the vulnerabilities were exposed, hopefully, you have an action plan you are utilizing to eliminate the vulnerabilities. Once the action plans are complete, you might consider outsourcing your next audit to validate your efforts.
