How do you audit the security of your solutions?

First and foremost is understanding the IT Infrastructure. Having access to proper documentation from the start will help any organization or Service Provider be able to define specific scopes and identify realistic area of concern or target areas which will in turn provide an accurate assessment.

I can't overstate the importance of thorough audit planning. I've spent years understanding the unique attack surfaces and threat models of my clients, which often vary. This helps optimize resources. We aim to make hacking attempts costly, discouraging attackers due to high effort with low gains. Measuring results? Crucial. I've learned to give stakeholders digestible, contextual reports, not just raw data. Once, instead of reporting 10 vulnerabilities, we demonstrated the trend - a 50% reduction from last quarter - and pinpointed where improvements happened. Security isn't static; it's a dynamic, evolving challenge. Regular audits help us stay ahead, be proactive, and thwart potential breaches.

From my experience having to automate this process/function would make life less stressful. this is a very important part of Security understanding where the holes are and patching this holes. Automating this process will help you identify and patch any vulnerabilities before it creates an issue.

Automation is definitely the only real way of managing and filtering alerts from vulnerability scans withany scale, however building in the governance to ensure this automation is reviewed is crucial. As threats change the tools and how they behave need to adapt.

Tools like Nmap and Nessus have been invaluable, illuminating issues like outdated software or misconfigured settings. Once, a routine scan revealed a crucial, exposed port that had slipped past manual checks. Vulnerability scans serve as our automated guardians, helping us prioritize fixes. They provide an ever-watchful eye, rooting out risks in the vast landscape of systems we manage daily. But, as I always remind my team, tools are only as effective as those interpreting the results. Always remember to evaluate these findings within the context of your unique cyber environment- for me, this was retail and e-commerce, but it could be something else for you.

Penetration testing gives you peace of mind. Its like a second per of eyes into your Network. It gives you an understanding on how well your Network Infrastructure is Protected and can identify areas lacking in Security.

Penetration testing has been a crucial part of our toolkit. We've used it to expose unseen weaknesses,as mentioned above. Tools like Metasploit have been my faithful allies, helping me simulate real-world attacks. But these tests aren't just about finding holes. I've also used them to validate security measures, such as the time when Getit's internal-network robust encryption passed my rigorous tests.

Logs and Alerts are many times overlooked and not taking seriously. Having a team assigned to manage your logs and review all logs on a daily / weekly / monthly bases will give the business an idea on who what, where and when such noise or events keep on occurring.

Our team regularly relies on tools like Splunk to transform raw log data into actionable insights. There was an instance when, as a team, we detected a stealthy data exfiltration by identifying abnormal patterns in logs. By routinely reviewing this data, we're able to catch abnormalities early and respond swiftly. The wisdom imparted by my mentor has always stayed with me. He would often assert, "Consider logs and alerts as our sensory tools in the digital world, they often reveal far more than what is immediately apparent."

Implementing best practice is a good baseline for any Design and Implementation. Adopting industrial standards and frameworks will make your job easier when it comes to implementing Security. Eg: Network Segmentation, Zoning, Implementing a Zero Trust environment. This will significantly give you a head start with Network Security.

I've learned that an audit isn't an endpoint; it's a jumping-off point for action. Once, following an audit, we coordinated with our app developers to patch vulnerabilities, update outdated software, and tightened configurations. We invested in staff training - I've seen firsthand how security awareness can transform potential weaknesses into strengths. One successful initiative was a phishing simulation that dramatically increased awareness. It's equally crucial to communicate transparently with stakeholders. After one large audit recently, we shared an easily digestible report with our stakeholders, reassuring them about their data security. Every step post-audit boosts security, fostering trust in our digital shopping platform.

Security Awareness Training: Security awareness training is crucial when it's come to identify potential risk. So far most of the security breaches confirms human error involment. One shoud regularly conduct security awareness training of an employees at all level to minimize the risk and preventing the loss of money or brand reputation.