Cyber Audit

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Definition of a Cyber Audit

A cyber audit is a comprehensive assessment of the security of a company's IT environment.

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The cyber audit aims to identify all of a company's potential weaknesses - including exploitable technical vulnerabilities - while comparing the company's security level and measures against best practices and recommendations from reference organizations such as ANSSI, or standards and regulations such as ISO27001, RGPD, NIS2, or DORA.

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The different modalities of a cyber audit

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Types of cyber audits

Generally speaking, a cyber audit involves three major achievements:

1. Assessment of the organization's information systems.
2. Analysis of the organization's cyber maturity.
3. Review of security procedures and their compliance with security standards and regulations.

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However, some cyber audits focus more on specific aspects:

• A technical audit provides a detailed diagnosis of your information system, similar to a technical inspection.
• An organizational audit examines the security measures in place within your organization.
• A compliance audit focuses exclusively on the company's situation in relation to current standards and regulations.

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The three phases of a cyber audit

A cyber audit can be broken down into three phases:

• Audit planning. During this phase, the auditor and the auditee define the various aspects of the audit and its scope.
• Carrying out the audit.
• Reporting. Once the audit has been completed, the auditor will produce a detailed report on the vulnerabilities discovered, together with recommendations for resolving them.

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The duration of a cyber audit

The size of your company, the complexity of its information systems and the audit objectives are factors which can influence the duration of a cyber audit.

Nevertheless, between the start of the audit planning and its delivery, it usually takes a few weeks to a month.

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Pentest

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Definition of a pentest

A pentest, or penetration test, simulates a malicious attack to identify exploitable vulnerabilities in an information system.

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By imitating the offensive actions of a real attacker, the pentester seeks to exploit flaws in your information systems to gain access to sensitive resources, and to test the security mechanisms you have put in place.

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The pentester proactively evaluates the security of your information system and, at the end of the penetration test, delivers a detailed report of its findings and recommendations for correcting the vulnerabilities detected.

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The different types of pentest

There are three types of pentest:

• Black box testing. This simulates an attack on your information system by an outsider, since the pentester has no information about your company.
• The grey box test. This pentest simulates the action of an attacker who has already gathered some information on your information system.
• The white box test. This pentest is more akin to an audit, since a maximum amount of information is transmitted to the pentester before the intrusion test.

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The similarities and differences between a cyber audit and a pentest

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Methodology

In the case of an audit, your company's information system is examined and evaluated by a third party to identify inconsistencies.

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By nature, it is less targeted than a pentest, which requires more preparation and is preferred by companies that have already carried out an upstream audit, or those dealing with sensitive infrastructures and data that need to be secured.

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In short, where an audit is a complete assessment of your company's level of cybersecurity, a pentest simulates an attack to proactively identify weaknesses in your information system.

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Objectives & results

When it comes to cybersecurity, prevention is better than cure. Anticipation is the key to long-term protection against cyber-attacks.

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Cyber audit and pentest have the same objective: to improve your posture in the face of cyber threats.

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At the end of an audit or pentest, a report is produced. It contains the main vulnerabilities discovered, and usually recommendations for correcting them.

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In the case of a cyber audit, this report will be based on the company as a whole, whereas in the case of a pentest, the report will focus more on the company's technical infrastructure and its vulnerabilities.

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What to choose between a cyber audit and a pentest? The Bastion audit: the best of both worlds.

At Bastion, we offer a comprehensive cyber audit that evaluates your cyber situation along 4 axes:

• Organizational & internal risk. We examine the assets at risk in your company that need to be secured.
• External surface.We identify configuration issues and potential vulnerabilities on your company's external surface.
• SaaS park. We check that your work environment is properly configured for maximum security.
• Human risk. We assess your teams' level of cyber maturity through simulations of phishing attacks and customized training.

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Following the audit, we offer support tailored to your needs, enabling you to detect vulnerabilities before they become threats.

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Discover Bastion Technologies cyber audit

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Conclusion

As a small or medium-sized business, do you think you've been left out in the cold when it comes to cybersecurity? The opposite is true!

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According to the Cybermalveillance platform, 77% of cyber-attacks perpetrated target VSEs and SMEs, as only 1 in 5 companies has a cybersecurity strategy in place, making them prime targets.

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To establish a defense in depth against hackers, you need an effective cybersecurity strategy.

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At Bastion, we can help you develop a cybersecurity solution that adapts to your needs and provides lasting protection against cyberthreats.

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