{"id":2421,"date":"2019-01-31T13:08:29","date_gmt":"2019-01-31T17:08:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/solutionsreview.com\/security-information-event-management\/?p=2421"},"modified":"2019-02-01T10:05:06","modified_gmt":"2019-02-01T14:05:06","slug":"why-you-need-better-cybersecurity-audits-and-audit-practices","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/solutionsreview.com\/security-information-event-management\/why-you-need-better-cybersecurity-audits-and-audit-practices\/","title":{"rendered":"Why You Need Better Cybersecurity Audits (and Auditing Practices)"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Why<\/p>\n

Upon reading the title of this article, you may start to wonder what we mean. Doesn\u2019t your IT security team handle your cybersecurity audits? Why would you and your employees need to see your cybersecurity audits? How would that improve your security posture? Would audits just contribute to our compliance reporting?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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However, by asking the questions you illustrate our point. Enterprises can\u2019t relegate cybersecurity to their IT security teams or otherwise ignore these issues. Your employees constitute your largest digital attack vector; their behaviors and adoption of cybersecurity best practices determine whether your enterprise stays secure or ends up at the mercy of hackers. <\/span><\/p>\n

Of course, hackers do not possess mercy. <\/span><\/p>\n

Only with better cybersecurity audits, and better practices for those audits, can your employees recognize what threats they face and what behaviors they need to avoid. Furthermore, better audits will dispel any disconnects or doublethink going on in your enterprise surrounding your security. <\/span><\/p>\n

Here is what we mean: <\/span><\/p>\n

Better Cybersecurity Audits, Fewer Illusions<\/b><\/h3>\n

A recent survey by <\/span>Syncsort<\/span><\/a> found a gap between confidence in security programs and their actual effectiveness. 85% of the respondents express confidence in their enterprise\u2019s cybersecurity. Simultaneously, 41% said their enterprise suffered a data breach. Another 20% couldn\u2019t say with certainty if their enterprise suffered a breach.<\/span><\/p>\n

Why does this disconnect exist and persist? Plenty of factors contribute, but the Syncsort survey points to the lack of consistent cybersecurity audits as the most likely culprit. 32% of their respondents only perform cybersecurity audits on an annual basis. 19% do so every six months, and 23% every three months. <\/span><\/p>\n

In turn, this lack of auditing may explain why enterprises only invest in the basic cybersecurity measures even as their investments grow; without clear information, enterprises labor under the illusion network firewalls and virus protection provide adequate protection by themselves.<\/span><\/p>\n

More consistent cybersecurity audits\u2014conducted at least quarterly if not more frequently\u2014should dispel these illusions by revealing your enterprise\u2019s most vulnerable areas. The information within these reports should also help your enterprise understand they need more than the basic cybersecurity capabilities to handle modern threats. Additionally, more audits will help your cybersecurity team identify threats more readily and expediently, cutting down on attacker dwell time. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Where Should You Focus Your Cybersecurity Audits \u00a0<\/b>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

Syncsort found enterprise security audits tend to focus on a few key areas:<\/span><\/p>\n