Easy-to-Use Cyber Security Assessment Checklists and How They Help

Risk management is important to every business. You probably already have processes in place for your financial or safety risk management. If you don’t have the same for your cybersecurity, you should. You can use a cyber security assessment checklist to get started.

Like financial and safety risks, cybersecurity risks come in many forms. Without standard protocols in place, it’s far too easy to miss something. For instance, many people think hackers are their only concern. This is far from the truth. Natural disasters and accidents are also cybersecurity problems. 

To help you cover your bases, this guide will present a few cybersecurity checklists for your reference. 

Why Do You Need a Cyber Security Assessment Checklist?

A cyber security assessment checklist is a simple way to track what you need to do to protect your sensitive information. It’s also an effective reference tool that explicitly states what you have and do not have in your cybersecurity plan. 

IT teams will also use cybersecurity checklists to patch vulnerabilities before they’re exploited. You should regularly assess your systems to detect hidden or persistent problems.

What Should be on Your Cybersecurity Checklist?

Every cybersecurity checklist should include these basic elements.

• Password protocols
• Multi-factor authentication (MFA)
• Incident response planning
• Safe mobile practices
• Firewall protection
• Antivirus software
• Employee training

You’ll need more than the basic security if you want to qualify for cyber insurance – which is a good idea. The average cost of a data breach hit a record high of $4.35 million in 2022. With cyber insurance coverage, you can get help paying for those costs. 

You need the following elements to qualify for cyber insurance in the US.

• A managed service provider
• EDR (endpoint detection response)
• MDR (managed detection and response)
• Cloud data backup and recovery plans
• Vulnerability management
• Multiple data backups
• Data detection and data loss prevention (if you’re dealing with sensitive data)
• Everything listed on our recommended basic list

Learn More About How You Can Prevent Cyber Attacks The Importance of Cyber Security Explained What is Data Breach Insurance? Network Security Vulnerabilities and Threats

Use our examples below to get started with specific cybersecurity assessments.

Cyber Security Audit Checklist

This cybersecurity audit checklist is for your IT professionals. It lists questions to answer as they inspect your system. If there are issues, they can offer recommendations on how to patch them.

Is the operating system up-to-date? Are all antivirus and antimalware tools up-to-date? Do you have layered security (more than one tool or protocol)? Are there a sufficient number of recent data backups? Do your system settings align with your policies? Are all network and Wi-Fi connections secure? Did an antivirus scan show any issues? Are all compliance standards met (if applicable)?

Recommendations:

Cyber Security Risk Assessment Checklist

The cyber security risk assessment checklist is used to detect potential vulnerabilities, identify threats, and assess their possible consequences. In this chart, your team can write their findings in the left hand column and check how it may impact your organization on the right.

Threat or Vulnerability	Potential Risks
	Financial loss Legal repercussions Reputational damage Intellectual property theft Customer/staff safety Loss of sales Employee retention Compromised partnerships
	Financial loss Legal repercussions Reputational damage Intellectual property theft Customer/staff safety Loss of sales Employee retention Compromised partnerships
	Financial loss Legal repercussions Reputational damage Intellectual property theft Customer/staff safety Loss of sales Employee retention Compromised partnerships
	Financial loss Legal repercussions Reputational damage Intellectual property theft Customer/staff safety Loss of sales Employee retention Compromised partnerships
	Financial loss Legal repercussions Reputational damage Intellectual property theft Customer/staff safety Loss of sales Employee retention Compromised partnerships
	Financial loss Legal repercussions Reputational damage Intellectual property theft Customer/staff safety Loss of sales Employee retention Compromised partnerships
Recommendations:

Information Security Risk Assessment Checklist

An information security assessment analyzes how well you’re protecting your data. This checklist will help your team determine that.

Do your data backups reflect current information? Do you have more than one backup? Are your backups stored in multiple locations? Are there strong access controls around sensitive data? Is data adequately encrypted? Has outdated information been properly disposed of or archived? Have all parties signed a contract to ensure data protection?

Recommendations:

Threat Assessment Checklist for Cyber Security

This checklist helps you inspect potential threats in your IT system. You can also categorize them as “low,” “medium,” or “high” severity. Severity depends upon how much the potential threat will impact your business in the worst case scenario. The higher the severity, the more protection you should have.

Human Error (i.e. lack of training, poor enforcement of standards)
Low	Medium	High
Privacy Concerns (i.e. spyware, lack of access control)
Low	Medium	High
Malware (i.e. viruses, adware)
Low	Medium	High
Data Integrity (i.e. lost or misrecorded information)
Low	Medium	High
Legality (i.e. repercussions for failing to meet regulatory compliance)
Low	Medium	High
Recommendations:

Enhance Your Cyber Risk Assessments With Help From the Experts

This guide is only scratching the surface. For full protection, you need to take a deeper dive into your specific security needs. Your business practices or industry standards can make a big difference. 

Attentus Technologies offers expert cybersecurity consulting services that will take your security controls to the next level. We have over 20 years of IT and cybersecurity experience, so there’s a good chance we’ve assisted someone a lot like you. 

Let’s work together to assess the likelihood of a breach and craft the perfect protection and recovery plan for you.

Contact us to find out more.