Your Complete Network Audit Checklist

Conducting a thorough network audit enables you to assess your organization’s network security controls to determine whether they function as intended. This thorough review of your organization’s network starts with analyzing your risk assessment to ensure that your firewalls appropriate allow and disallow network traffic between internal networks and the public internet. By comparing your firewall configurations and functionality against your identified security measures, your audit enables you to identify vulnerabilities, potential security risks, and areas for improvement in your network security policy.

A network security audit is one part of your larger cybersecurity audit. By understanding how your network security audit maps to your cybersecurity objectives, you can use a network audit checklist more effectively.

What is a Cybersecurity Audit?

A cybersecurity audit is a review of the organization’s security posture to determine whether risk mitigation controls work as intended. A cybersecurity audit typically reviews various categories of data protection activities, including but not limited to the controls for:

Network security, defining approved and disallowed communications between the internal networks and public internet
User authentication and access controls ,like limiting permissions to network infrastructure and apps, according to the principle of least privilege
Endpoint security, like vulnerability and patch management
Data protection, like data encryption
Incident response plans and detection capabilities, like how well intrusion detection systems work by engaging in a penetration test

Most cybersecurity and data protection audits use a compliance framework to assess various system security controls. Since audits are how an organization proves compliance, most security audit checklists map their controls to one or more of the following:

PCI DSS
HIPAA
GDPR
NIST 800-53
ISO 27001
NERC CIP

Why are cybersecurity audits important?

Cybersecurity audits are the business version of “checking your work.” They document the organization’s cybersecurity policies, processes, and technical controls. When external auditors review your overall security program, they provide assurance that your program works as intended. If they identify any compliance violations, then you have the opportunity to improve your security posture by implementing additional mitigations.

What is network security auditing?

A network security audit reviews your data breach risk mitigation strategies around who, what, and how people and devices communicate across your networks.

What are the two types of security audits?

Often, organizations engage in two types of network security audits that include multiple stakeholders.

Internal Audit

Your internal audit is when people who work for the company review your current network security controls, often consisting of:

Network administrators
Application owners
Internal audit teams

External Audit

During an external audit, you have third-party, independent auditors who need documentation and samples that prove your internal controls align with the compliance framework you’ve chosen.

Internal and External Audit Process Similarities

This process includes examining firewall rules for any vulnerabilities and ensuring they are functioning optimally to protect you against cyber threats and unauthorized access. The audit also checks for the presence of malware in your operating systems and reviews the security of your access points.

Another essential part of the audit are wireless networks, which need to be rigorously checked for any security weaknesses as they are often a target for hackers. The audit will also assess the security of routers and other network devices, keeping an eye out for upgrades that need to be made or security patches that need to be applied.

What are the key steps involved in conducting a network security audit?

A typical network security audit requires the following steps:

Planning and objectives: defining the audit’s scope and outcomes
Collecting documentation: gathering data and information, like previous, external and internal audit reports, network topology maps, network device inventory, and user access controls
Reviewing documentation and testing controls: ensuring that internal controls map to the chosen compliance framework and testing for misconfigurations or vulnerabilities that prevent controls from working as intended
Reporting and management response: receiving and reviewing the auditor’s report that identifies compliance issues and ensuring management responds about actionable remediation steps

How Do You Conduct a Network Security Audit?

Conducting a network audit starts with a comprehensive network audit checklist. This checklist will guide your security teams through the steps necessary for a robust audit, from reviewing your network infrastructure to penetration testing for vulnerabilities.

Checking for sensitive data, includes sensitive information stored on your network, as well as data transmitted through your network and is one of the most crucial steps in conducting an audit. Also worthwhile checking is your “bring your own device” (BYOD) policy, if you have one, and make sure all mobile devices and user accounts are secure.

The network audit checklist should also include a review of permissions and Internet access points to prevent unauthorized access. Implementing two-factor authentication can also enhance your security measures.

The Five Audit Checklist Components

When it comes to network audits, there are five key components to include in your checklist.

Functionality: Ensure your network is operating at optimal functionality, including bandwidth and network segment performance.
Security Measures: Review your network security policy, and implement necessary security protocols.
Vulnerabilities: Identify any vulnerabilities in your system, from potential cyberattacks to phishing threats.
Upgrade and Patch Management: Regularly update and patch your systems and devices to minimize security risks.
Audit Report: Compile an audit report that summarizes your findings and suggests improvements.

By following this in-depth checklist, you can enhance your network security and protect against potential security breaches.

Network Security Audit Readiness

Preparing for a network security audit can feel overwhelming, but with the right tools and a comprehensive network audit checklist, it becomes manageable. Tufin offers network security audit readiness solutions to assist in this process, ensuring you are well-prepared for any audit.

Conclusion

Network audits are vital in maintaining a secure and efficient network. By following a detailed network audit checklist, potential vulnerabilities can be identified as well as securing your network, and ensuring the optimal performance of your network infrastructure.

How to Perform a Firewall Audit is a related blog article that provides deeper insights into this topic.

FAQs

What is a Network Security Audit Checklist?

A network security audit checklist is used by IT security teams to review their networks security measures. It includes reviewing firewalls, wireless networks, access points, and more. For more information, refer to our article on firewall auditing.

How Often Should You Conduct a Network Audit?

The frequency of network audits depends on the size and complexity of your network, as well as any regulatory requirements your organization may be subject to. However, it is generally recommended to conduct a network audit at least once a year. Discover more about this in our article on audit readiness.

What Is The Importance Of A Network Audit?

Network audits are crucial to maintaining the security and functionality of your network, identifying vulnerabilities, and ensuring compliance with regulations. For more insights, please read our blog about network cyber security regulatory compliance.