How to do a security audit for your business in 10 minutes

Regardless of size or industry, all businesses can benefit from improving their digital security measures. At HybridComms, we prioritise our own digital security, as well as that of our customers.

While larger enterprises might rely on specialised IT professionals and security experts, this may not be practical for every company. Given the ever-changing digital landscape and the emergence of new security threats, it is advisable to conduct security audits regularly to ensure your business is adequately protected.

Of course, implementing and maintaining thorough digital security can be a demanding job that requires expertise and experience. Nevertheless, any business can perform a preliminary security audit within a few minutes to identify fundamental vulnerabilities and mitigate the possibility of malicious activities.

What is a security audit?

When referring to a security audit, we are discussing a basic examination of several aspects of your business to guarantee compliance with established protocols and best practices. If all is well, that’s excellent! However, if some practices are not being carried out correctly, it is advisable to detect and address the issues early on, rather than waiting until a problem arises.

Who should do a security audit?

Businesses that possess the necessary resources may enlist the aid of external experts to conduct periodic reviews of their security. Alternatively, they may have staff members in-house dedicated to continually scrutinising and verifying the company’s digital security measures.

In some instances, the responsibility of monitoring security may fall upon the IT Manager or Head of Operations. Nonetheless, all employees should be security-conscious and ensure that they adhere to the company’s protocols. Anyone with administrative access to any tools or systems must be particularly vigilant about how these resources are used and who has access to them.

How often should I check my digital security?

The frequency of a security audit depends on the scope of the review required. For a comprehensive analysis, it might be conducted annually. Alternatively, for a brief assessment, it could be performed monthly. A useful guideline is to conduct a quick internal security review every time a new staff member is hired or a new tool or software is introduced. This is an opportune time to consider the appropriate permissions and access to grant. While doing so, it’s a good idea to take a few extra minutes to confirm that everything is in order for the rest of the team.

How to do a quick security audit:

The task of conducting a comprehensive root-and-branch review is highly detailed and exceeds the scope of this article. Rather than that, let’s concentrate on the quick and effortless tasks that can be performed regularly to maintain the system and avoid issues from escalating. By checking a few key things within a time span of just 10 minutes, you can ensure peace of mind.

1. Check your company policies

Before conducting a security assessment, it is important to understand the standards that need to be met. If you have established policies or principles, it is advisable to take a few moments to review them. This has two advantages: first, it will keep the standards and procedures fresh in your mind while conducting the review. Secondly, you may identify areas that require updating or modification. For instance, your policy may mandate that all new employees must physically visit the office to sign their contract, which may not be feasible in a world of remote and hybrid work. It is best to recognize and address such outdated policies to avoid potential issues in the future.

2. Update your passwords

Security experts recommend using a complex combination of letters, numbers, and special characters for your password, changing them frequently, and using a unique password for each platform. However, in reality, most people don’t follow these guidelines. Nonetheless, it’s a good idea to periodically review your passwords and assess their level of security. Many companies have encountered problems due to weak passwords such as “BUSINESS_NAME_123!”.

It’s important to check your login credentials and update any that are weak or easily guessed, and to use different passwords for each platform to avoid compromising your entire system.

If you suspect that your passwords may have been shared within your company and you’re uncertain who has access to them, it’s advisable to change them. If you must share a single account, consider speaking with an IT expert about investing in a password vault.

Pro tip! Remember to change passwords when employees leave the business, or any time they no longer need access to a particular tool.

3. Review access and permissions

It’s best practice to never share passwords or login details with anyone. Most tools allow for multiple logins and accounts, enabling you to set different access levels based on employee seniority and required features.

Periodically reviewing access levels is important, particularly for long-term tool use. It’s not uncommon for an employee to begin with basic user access but end up with admin access to perform specific tasks. Consequently, a large number of people may have access to sensitive aspects of the tool unnecessarily.

Checking the access levels of your team and determining whether they require that level is crucial. Many platforms are implementing more granular permissions, allowing for turning on and off specific features for different staff members. It’s helpful to review who can perform particular actions in your tools and assess whether it’s necessary, particularly for anyone with access to customer or financial data.

You don’t need to audit every tool each time; instead, it’s wise to conduct a quick review of existing users when adding a new one. Additionally, it’s recommended to review each tool in your tech stack roughly once every quarter.

4. Check your site’s security

Ensuring the security of your website can be a complex process. However, many hosting platforms now have systems in place that can flag potential issues in a clear and understandable way. For instance, they may alert you to any questionable login attempts, allowing you to assess their legitimacy. If you receive a login attempt from a location that does not correspond with your employees’ usual location, it’s possible that your account has been compromised, and you should take swift action.

In addition to enhancing your website’s security, a security review can reveal other benefits. For instance, you may discover toxic backlinks, which can harm your online reputation and make it more difficult for customers to locate your business online. Toxic backlinks are links originating from low-quality or suspicious websites. You can make an effort to have them removed or disavowed, so that search engines no longer associate your site with such negative sources.

Pro tip! These tasks don’t need to be specific to managers. Ask your team members to regularly review security policies and refresh their passwords in order to keep things safe. This has the added benefit of ensuring all employees recognise the responsibility they have when it comes to digital security. Make it part of your business culture.

Summary

Conducting a brief examination of your business’s digital security can help you avoid significant issues in the future. It doesn’t have to be a daunting task. Devoting just 10 minutes to a security audit on a periodic basis can help you nip small problems in the bud before they escalate into major concerns for your company.

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