Cyber Security Audit
A comprehensive assessment of your cyber security capabilities to identify and fix control weaknesses, guarantee compliance and fortify your security posture.
Our experts evaluate your existing security and IT infrastructure and provide practical steps to protect your company from cyber threats.
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What is a Cyber Security Audit?
A company’s security practices, policies and systems are thoroughly examined as part of a cyber security audit to make sure they are reliable, secure and compliant with industry standards.
An extensive assessment of your IT and business environments including network security, hardware, software and compliance with standards like GDPR, ISO 27001, or NIST, is part of the auditing process.
Businesses can find weaknesses, evaluate the effectiveness of present security measures, establish the right measures to reduce risks and prevent data breaches by performing regular cyber security audits.
What's Included?
Audit Scope and Planning
We begin by defining the scope and objectives of the audit – ensuring we focus on the areas most critical to your organisation’s risk profile.
Policy Review
Our auditors evaluate existing policies and processes, checking for completeness, clarity and alignment with current best practices.
Environment Assessment
We conduct thorough checks across networks, devices and systems, pinpointing potential vulnerabilities or misconfigurations.
Compliance Mapping
We compare your existing controls against frameworks such as GDPR, ISO 27001 or NIST – highlighting any gaps that need addressing.
Risk Prioritisation
We assess each finding for likelihood and potential impact, enabling your team to address the most significant risks first.
Remediation Guidance
Our experts offer practical recommendations for closing gaps, from updating configurations and patching software to enhancing processes
Challenges Addressed by Cyber Security Audits
Unidentified Vulnerabilities
Most companies don’t have visibility of how many vulnerabilities exist in their systems. Without regular auditing, companies can over time build up this technical debt which accumulates vulnerabilities, leading to data breaches if left unmanaged.
Unknown Compliance
Maintaining compliance with constantly evolving regulations such as GDPR or ISO 27001 is often very challenging for SMBs. Small to medium sized businesses often lack the specialist compliance expertise in-house to perform these reviews or the capacity to perform them in the first instance.
Lack of Specialists
Assessing cyber security effectively demands specialised knowledge and experience that often don’t exist in-house. Many companies often try a DIY approach to cyber security audits which inevitably result in control weaknesses being missed and underestimating the level of risk for the company.
Poor Messaging
Audit results can be confronting for senior management. When technical resources (often who perform the audits) present the findings to senior management, it can often result in mismanagement of senior stakeholders and the setting of ‘hares running’ unnecessarily.
Abrasive Methods
Without the right approach or audit methodology, a lot of auditors leave their consulted stakeholders feeling exhausted and ‘interrogated’. This can create a divide between IT or central functions and compliance functions.
Unidentified Vulnerabilities
Most companies don’t have visibility of how many vulnerabilities exist in their systems. Without regular auditing, companies can over time build up this technical debt which accumulates vulnerabilities, leading to data breaches if left unmanaged.
Unknown Compliance
Maintaining compliance with constantly evolving regulations such as GDPR or ISO 27001 is often very challenging for SMBs. Small to medium sized businesses often lack the specialist compliance expertise in-house to perform these reviews or the capacity to perform them in the first instance.
Lack of Specialists
Assessing cyber security effectively demands specialised knowledge and experience that often don’t exist in-house. Many companies often try a DIY approach to cyber security audits which inevitably result in control weaknesses being missed and underestimating the level of risk for the company.
Poor Messaging
Audit results can be confronting for senior management. When technical resources (often who perform the audits) present the findings to senior management, it can often result in mismanagement of senior stakeholders and the setting of ‘hares running’ unnecessarily.
Abrasive Methods
Without the right approach or audit methodology, a lot of auditors leave their consulted stakeholders feeling exhausted and ‘interrogated’. This can create a divide between IT or central functions and compliance functions.
What Our Clients Say
Benefits of Cyber Security Audits
Frequent cyber security audits show a proactive approach to protecting critical assets, which not only increases operational resilience but also enhances stakeholder confidence.
Identify Control Weaknesses
Auditing identifies potential security risks and provides comprehensive recommendations on how to mitigate it. This lowers the possibility of breaches by enabling preventative measures. By implementing these preventative measures, you can enhance your overall defence against possible cyber attacks.
Compliance Assurance
An audit will ensure that the organisation satisfies all relevant regulatory and compliance requirements, protecting you from penalties and fines. By performing regular cyber security audits, you protect your critical assets and improve your company’s reputation.
Security Posture Improvement
Auditing not only provides point-in-time recommendations on how to address weaknesses identified, but it also provides a mechanism for continued and sustained cyber security control improvement over the medium to long term.
Executive Confidence
Internal stakeholders (e.g. senior management and executive) feel more confident that their data, IT assets and people are properly safeguarded. External stakeholders such as investors, suppliers and prospective clients are also reassured you have sufficient controls in place in order to do business with them.
Clear Way Forward
A comprehensive audit gives your business a thorough remediation roadmap with specific recommendations for addressing vulnerabilities found. Your team will be able to quickly and consistently enhance your security posture by using this structured approach to prioritise and resolve the issues identified.
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Case Study: UK Financial Services Firm
Client Challenge
A UK-based financial services firm, subject to Financial Conduct Authority regulatory requirements, observed a significant uptick from their security monitoring tool in the number of cyber attacks that were attempting to compromise their defences.
With a limited in-house cyber security team, the company needed a comprehensive cyber security audit to check the effectiveness of current cyber security controls and ensure ongoing compliance.
Our Approach
CyPro delivered a tailored cyber security audit service, which included a specialised team with expertise in financial services regulation, including:
- Virtual CISO: Providing strategic guidance to oversee the audit process, focusing on FCA/PRA regulatory alignment.
- Cyber Risk Manager: Identifying and addressing the key cyber risks in their network, by evaluating exposure points and their potential impact on business operations.
- Technical Auditor: Conducting hands-on vulnerability assessments across the firm’s systems, which identified outdated technology, a high degree of technical debt and controls which were not operating effectively.
Our approach included:
- Regulatory Gap Analysis: Conducted a thorough analysis of the firm’s cyber security framework against FCA guidelines, identifying opportunities for improvement.
- Policy & Procedure Development: Developed standardised cyber security policies which aligned with regulatory requirements and best practices.
- Vulnerability & Penetration Testing: Performed testing to identify weaknesses in the network, applications and endpoints. This focused on high risk areas that might expose sensitive financial data.
- Risk-Based Remediation Plan: Created a prioritised remediation plan, detailing steps to patch vulnerabilities and enhance monitoring capabilities.
- Establish Audit Schedule: Defined and implemented an audit schedule to ensure cyber security audits are embedded within business operations on an ongoing basis.
Value Delivered
Attained Compliance
Ensured the clients cyber security framework met industry standards, minimising regulatory risk.
Enhanced Trust
Improved data protection measures which boosted client and stakeholder confidence.
Risks Reduced
Identified and resolved critical vulnerabilities, reducing the risk of breaches relating to sensitive financial information.
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Who Needs a Cyber Security Audit?
As cyber threats evolve, companies of all sizes must be vigilant. Identifying vulnerabilities and improving security measures require a cyber security audit. These audits are beneficial for small and medium-sized businesses, heavily regulated industries, and rapidly growing corporations.
- Small To Medium-Sized Businesses (SMBs): Small and medium-sized businesses frequently lack the funding necessary to provide a high degree of assurance around established cyber security controls. A cyber security audit gives them the knowledge they need to improve security without the cost of an internal audit team.
- Heavily Regulated Industries: Industries such as finance, healthcare, and telecommunications must adhere to strict laws of which auditing is a crucial component. A cyber security audit protects sensitive data, assures compliance, reduces the possibility of penalties, and improves the organisation’s reputation among internal and external stakeholders.
- Businesses With Complex IT Infrastructures: Cyber security audits are advantageous for large or complex IT organisations because they ensure all components of their infrastructure are secure and comply with industry standards, especially when introducing new technologies or IT systems.
- Rapidly Expanding Companies: As companies grow, they often don’t fully integrate new technologies and systems well which can create cyber security control weaknesses. By ensuring that changes in IT and infrastructure do not create new vulnerabilities, a cyber security audit assists these organisations in managing associated risks, enabling confident and sustainable expansion.
- Mergers & Acquisitions: Companies who are acquiring others will want to ensure before the transaction formally takes place that the target company’s control environment is robust and externally assured.
Who Doesn’t Need Cyber Security Audits?
- Organisations With Few Cyber Controls: Companies who are just starting off on their cyber security journey may not need cyber security audits just yet. If there are no controls to audit, there is little point!
- Companies With Low-Risk Profiles: Full-scale cyber security audits might not be necessary for organisations who do not operate much IT infrastructure, handle sensitive or personal data or have few digital assets.
Our Approach
Our cyber security audit approach aims to give a complete assessment of your organisation’s security posture. We focus on a systematic and tailored methodology that meets your unique business requirements.
Scoping
We begin with a thorough consultation to understand your business objectives, the intended scope of the audit, existing security capabilities and any specific cyber security requirements. We start by getting an understanding of your priorities so that we can develop a tailored audit to meet your unique security challenges.
Audit Planning
After scoping, we create a detailed audit plan with timelines, focus areas (e.g. network security and compliance) and key stakeholders. This approach sets clear expectations and targets critical controls in your security posture, ensuring a comprehensive cyber security audit.
Control Testing
We perform comprehensive penetration testing, vulnerability scans and sample audit reviews of your security policies and controls. Our methodology enables us to identify possible vulnerabilities in your processes and systems without impacting business operations.
Risk Analysis
After identification of vulnerabilities, an in-depth risk assessment is carried out by our team of experts. We evaluate the vulnerabilities found and classify them according to their potential impact on your organisation and level of severity. This analysis gives an understanding of the risks connected to each vulnerability, enabling you to prioritise remedial steps and actions.
Technical & Exec Reporting
We offer both a comprehensive technical report for technology focused functions and roles (i.e. CTOs, Software Engineers, IT Architects, etc.) and a summarised Executive Report tailored more towards the layman and non-technical audience. We make sure that our reporting is clear, concise, and tailored to the audience, offering sector insights for your management.
Remediation Plan
We collaborate with your team to create a cyber remediation plan based on the audit results. Keeping in mind the unique circumstances and available resources of your company, this plan gives priority to the tasks that will have the most significant effect on improving your security posture and reducing risk as fast as possible.
Validation Audit
After the recommended changes are implemented, we recommend performing a ‘validation audit’ to assess the effectiveness of the remedial efforts. This stage is essential to make sure that all risks have been effectively addressed and that the implemented solutions are performing as planned.
Secure your business.
Elevate your security, accelerate your growth. We take care of cyber security for high-growth companies, at every stage of their journey.
Get in Touch
Secure your business.
Elevate your security, accelerate your growth. We take care of cyber security for high-growth companies, at every stage of their journey.
Get in TouchYour Team
Jonny Pelter
Jonny is a Founding Partner at CyPro and executive group level CISO who has worked closely with the British intelligence agencies NCSC and GCHQ.
Originating from KPMG and Deloitte, Jonny has a wealth of experience across numerous sectors including technology, critical national infrastructure, financial services, oil & gas, insurance, betting, pharmaceuticals and utilities.
Jonny is a leading cyber security expert in the UK, having featured on national media for his professional commentary such as BBC News, iPlayer, Telegraph and Times Radio.
Additional Consultants
Hassan strengthens the team with his extensive background as a Cyber Security Architect. With 18 years of experience across multi-technology data centre platforms and mobile core networks, he brings a wealth of knowledge in designing secure and resilient systems. As a Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) and Chartered Engineer (CEng), Hassan’s expertise in network and data security architectures ensures that our audits are thorough and effective. His proven ability to lead complex security initiatives equips our team to identify vulnerabilities and enhance organisational resilience against cyber threats.
An IT professional with more than several years of experience in IT internal control, Internal Audit, Auditing, IT risk management, compliance, policy implementation and Business Analysis.
A commercially astute, goal orientated and innovative IT & Information Security Risk Manager with over 10 years progressive experience in risk management and a proven track record of designing, developing and implementing Information Security management frameworks across multiple global companies and industries.
Kailey is a Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) and Digital Operational Resilience Act Trained Professional (DORATPro) with extensive experience in developing and implementing security governance frameworks and data protection policies. Adept at aligning information security initiatives with regulatory requirements and business objectives, ensuring compliance with ISO 27001, GDPR, DORA, and Cyber Essentials Plus.
With a proven track record in transforming information security postures, expertise spans insurance, financial services, managed IT services, and the public sector. Kailey is skilled in building Information Security Management Systems (ISMS), managing third-party risks, and enhancing organisational resilience through strategic advisory, policy development, and security training programs.
She is recognised for a collaborative and solutions-driven approach, fostering trust and teamwork to drive effective security transformations. Passionate about implementing tailored security frameworks that safeguard digital assets while supporting business growth and operational resilience.
Comparison: Cyber Risk Assessment vs Cyber Security Audit
When deciding between a cyber risk assessment and a cyber security audit, it is important to understand the advantages each option offers.
Cyber Security Audit
- Purpose: A comprehensive review of an organisations overall cyber security profile to assess resilience, identify weaknesses, and align with best practices. Provides a formal, assurance based view on cyber risk.
- Scope: A thorough internal assessment across specific control domains areas such as network security, data security, access control or risk management.
- Cost: Due to the level of formal assurance involved, this is a more resource intensive process, usually costing more than a risk assessment of a similar scope.
- Who Is This Best For? Organisations who require robust assurance around existing cyber security controls based on specialised compliance requirements, or who sit in regulated sectors or markets.
Cyber Risk Assessment
- Purpose: Provides an analysis aimed at identifying and prioritising potential security risks, offering insights into likely vulnerabilities and threats. Provides an informal, consultancy based view on risk.
- Scope: Typically focuses on a specific service, product, application or the organisation as a whole.
- Cost: Cost-effective measure to understand risks within an organisation. As formal assurance is not required, this option tends to be more cost effective than formal cyber security audits (of a similar scope).
- Who Is This Best For? Organisations seeking to understand their basic security controls to protect against cyber threats or those sitting in unregulated sectors and markets.
Frequently Asked Questions
- How to audit cyber security?
A cyber security audit is a structured process that evaluates an organisation’s security measures to ensure they comply with internal policies, industry best practices, and regulatory standards. The key steps involved in conducting a cyber security audit include:
- Define Scope and Objectives: Identify the systems, protocols and regulations that will be audited.
- Collect Data: Collect data on incident reports, compliance documentation, and existing security practices.
- Review Controls: Verify that security controls including encryption, access control, and firewalls to ensure they meet best practices.
- Risk Assessment: Identify vulnerabilities and assess how security risks affect the organisation
- Documentation: Document the findings, highlighting their advantages and disadvantages as well as recommendations for improvement.
- Report Results: Give stakeholders a presentation of the audit results, emphasising areas in need of improvement and offering actionable recommendations.
- What is audit in cyber security?
A cyber security audit is a systematic evaluation of an organisation’s information security policies, procedures, and technical controls. The purpose of the audit is to analyse the effectiveness of security measures, identify vulnerabilities, and ensure compliance with regulatory requirements. Audits can be internal or external, and they may focus on different aspects of cyber security, such as:
- Regulatory Compliance – Ensuring adherence to security standards such as ISO 27001, GDPR, PCI-DSS, and NIST.
- Incident Response Readiness – Assessing how well an organisation is prepared to handle cyber incidents.
- Data Protection Measures – Evaluating encryption policies, access controls, and security frameworks used to safeguard sensitive data.
Risk Management – Identifying cyber risks and evaluating an organisation’s ability to prevent, detect, and respond to security threats.
Cyber security audits play a crucial role in improving an organisation’s overall cyber resilience, reducing the risk of security breaches, and ensuring continued compliance with evolving regulatory standards.
- What is cyber security audit checklist?
A cyber security audit checklist is an important tool for determining an organisation’s overall security posture. It includes a thorough evaluation of hardware, software, policies, and data protection measures. This checklist provides a systematic approach to analysing security controls and practices, assisting in the identification of potential risks and compliance gaps. Organisations that adopt this structured framework may effectively mitigate risks and improve their cyber security resilience.
- How do I prepare for a cyber security audit?
To achieve a smooth and thorough cyber security audit, several key steps must be taken:
- Respond Promptly to Document Requests: the Auditors will likely publish a list of the necessary papers, such as access logs, policies, procedures, etc. that will need to be reviewed. Sometimes this documentation isn’t always available in the form requested, respond back clarifying any ambiguity.
- Reserve Time for Workshops: To ensure the stakeholders’ availability and active engagement, schedule times in your diaries for the auditor’s workshops and interviews.
- Collate Required Documents: Gather and organise any essential documentation ahead of time so that it can be easily reviewed by the auditor.
- Facilitate Sample Testing: Make sure your systems and controls are ready for the auditor to perform sample testing. Ensure that the required individuals and data are prepared for this process.
- Understand Audit Result Communication: Make it clear how the audit results will be shared. Will they be shared with the audit and risk committee, senior leadership, or in a formal report? Understanding the audience and format is essential for effective communication.
- Engage your Team: Engaging your team in the preparation stage can help to create a transparent environment, making the audit process more efficient and effective.
- Agree Management Actions: management actions should be recommended by the auditor for the control weaknesses identified. Ensure you are happy with these recommendations and that they are relevant to your specific organisation.
- What are the different types of cyber security audits?
Cyber security audits vary based on organisational needs, industry regulations, and security objectives. The most common types include:
- Internal Security Audits – Conducted by in-house security teams to evaluate security controls and identify vulnerabilities before an external audit.
- Regulatory Compliance Audits – Assessments to ensure compliance with industry standards such as ISO 27001, GDPR, and NIST.
- Third-Party Security Audits – External audits conducted by independent cyber security firms to provide an unbiased review of an organisation’s security posture.
- Penetration Testing Audits – Security evaluations where ethical hackers simulate cyber attacks to test an organisation’s defences.
- Cloud Security Audits – Reviews focused on assessing the security of cloud-based environments, ensuring proper identity management, encryption, and access controls.
Each type of audit serves a specific purpose in enhancing an organisation’s cyber security maturity and reducing risk exposure.
- How often should organisations conduct a cyber security audit?
The frequency of cyber security audits depends on regulatory requirements, industry best practices, and an organisation’s risk profile. However, it is generally recommended that businesses conduct audits:
- Annually – As a standard practice for maintaining compliance and identifying security risks.
- After Major IT Changes – Following system upgrades, cloud migrations, or infrastructure expansions.
- Following a Security Incident – To investigate the root cause of an attack and prevent recurrence.
- Before Regulatory Reviews – To ensure readiness for compliance assessments and avoid potential fines.
Regular security audits help organisations stay ahead of emerging threats, improve security posture, and maintain compliance with evolving cyber security standards.
- How can businesses get started with a cyber security audit?
Organisations can begin by assessing their current security framework, compliance status, and potential risk areas. Our team at CyPro provides comprehensive cyber security audit services, offering:
- Pre-audit assessments to identify vulnerabilities and prepare businesses for formal audits.
- Full-scope security audits covering technical, procedural, and compliance evaluations.
- Actionable recommendations to strengthen cyber security defences and mitigate identified risks.
- Ongoing audit support to help organisations stay compliant with regulatory requirements.
To enhance your organisation’s security posture and regulatory compliance, contact our experts today for a consultation on tailored cyber security audit solutions.
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