In this lesson,
we will cover external audits and assessments.
External audits and assessments serve as critical tools
for organizations to maintain a robust security posture
and ensure compliance with regulatory standard.
These evaluations are often conducted
by independent third parties
that provide an unbiased view
of an organization's security infrastructure,
identify potential vulnerabilities,
and validate the effectiveness of security controls.
External audits are systematic evaluations
conducted by independent entities
to assess an organization's information systems,
applications, and security controls.
Unlike internal audits,
which are performed
by an organization's own internal audit team,
external audits provide an objective perspective
on an organization's true security posture.
External audits can cover a wide range of areas,
including data protection, network security,
access controls, and incident response procedures.
The goal of an external audit is to identify gaps
in security policies, procedures, and controls
to ensure compliance with various regulatory standards
like the General Data Protection Regulation,
also known as GDPR,
and the Healthcare Insurance
Portability and Accountability Act, also known as HIPAA.
And lastly,
the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard,
also known as PCI DSS.
For example, a financial institution
might hire an external auditor
to evaluate its compliance with the PCI DSS
once per quarter or once per year.
The external auditor would then review
the institution's card holder data environment
and examine its security measures,
such as firewalls, encryption methods, and access controls
to ensure that they meet the requirements
of the PCI DSS standard.
In addition to external audits,
we can also have external assessments
conducted on our organization's enterprise network.
An external assessment is a detailed analysis
that's conducted by an independent entity or entities
to identify vulnerabilities and risks
in an organization's security system.
This external assessment often involves a combination
of automated scanning tools and manual testing techniques
to provide a comprehensive view
of the organization's security vulnerabilities.
External assessments can take various forms,
including risk assessments, vulnerability assessments,
and threat assessments.
Each type of external assessment
will focus on different aspects of security
and provide us with some valuable insights
that can help strengthen
our organization's security posture.
For example, a healthcare organization
might engage a cybersecurity firm
to conduct a vulnerability assessment
of its electronic health record system
to ensure that it's compliant
with the HIPAA regulatory requirements.
The external assessment firm
would then use specialized tools to scan the system
for known vulnerabilities,
such as outdated software or misconfigured settings,
and then provide a report detailing these vulnerabilities
and recommend the mitigation strategies
that the organization should implement.
Next, we have regulatory compliance.
Regulatory compliance refers to the goal
that organizations aspire to achieve
in their efforts
to assure that they are aware of and take steps to comply
with relevant laws, policies, and regulations.
Due to the increasing number of regulations
and the need for operational transparency,
organizations are increasingly adopting the use
of consolidated and harmonized set of compliance controls
to achieve their regulatory compliance,
such as using NIST Cybersecurity Framework
as their main regulatory compliance mechanisms
while allowing the implementation
of each individual regulatory set of controls
within the larger NIST Cybersecurity Framework.
Regulatory compliance involves
adhering to laws and regulations
that dictate how organizations must manage the security
of their information technology systems and data.
These regulations can include rules
that are specific to certain industries,
such as HIPAA for healthcare
and PCI DSS for organizations
that handle credit card information
as well as more generalized types of,
like the General Data Protection Regulation,
also known as GDPR,
that applies to organizations across all industries.
To achieve compliance with these regulations,
organizations will often
implement specific security controls,
maintain certain policies and procedures,
and regularly audit and assess
their organization's security posture.
Next thing that we have to consider is examinations.
Examinations are detailed inspections
of an organization's security infrastructure
that are conducted externally,
and they can cover a wide range of areas
from network security to data protection to access controls.
In addition to this part of the examination,
which acts very much like an assessment,
an examination may also include some testing
of your key personnel using standardized testing,
checking if their certifications are current and up-to-date,
and things like that.
For example, if you work for
a nuclear power generation facility or power plant,
these organizations are subject to examinations
every one to five years.
During the examination, their computer network systems,
ICS and SCADA equipment,
and other operational procedures are assessed and examined.
Additionally, all of the employees of the facility
are examined based on their work roles
to ensure that they can complete knowledge-based exams
in order to maintain their authority
to operate at the given power plant.
Examinations also involve a review
of the organization's policies, procedures, and controls
to ensure that they meet requirements
of their relevant regulation.
Examinations are a crucial part
of maintaining a strong security posture
and ensuring regulatory compliance.
They can help identify potential weakness
in the organization's security infrastructure
and provide a roadmap for making necessary improvements.
Many cybersecurity professionals
will never experience this kind of examination,
and instead, most will simply undergo a typical assessment.
But depending on the industry that you work for
and the regulations that apply to your industry,
you may be subject to an examination
at some point in your career.
Finally, we have independent third-party audits.
Independent third-party audits are a crucial component
of an organization's cybersecurity strategy
that are used to provide an unbiased perspective
of the organization's security posture
that helps to identify potential weaknesses
that might be overlooked in internal audits or assessments.
These independent third-party audits can provide validation
of an organization's security measures
that can help build trust with customers,
stakeholders, and regulatory bodies.
Many regulations include GDPR and PCI DSS,
require organizations
to undergo regular independent third-party audits
as part of their compliance requirements.
So remember, external audits and assessments
are essential tools
for maintaining a robust cybersecurity posture
and ensuring compliance with regulatory standards.
By providing an unbiased view
of an organization security infrastructure,
these evaluations can help
identify potential vulnerabilities,
validate the effectiveness of security controls,
and build trust with stakeholders.
Regular external audits and assessments
conducted by independent third parties
should be a key component
of any organization's cybersecurity strategy.