Network Security Assessments: What They Are And Why You Need Them

What would happen if your organization’s networks were breached today? Do you know how many records would be exposed? Would you be able to find out immediately that there had been a breach? Most importantly — are your network’s defenses adequate to repel or respond to an attack?

Many organizations don’t know until after the fact, which is why a network security assessment is so important. According to a report from EY, 76% of organizations only increased their security budget after a major cyber attack. Waiting until after the fact to shore up defenses is too late — according to the Ponemon Institute’s 2019  Cost of a Data Breach Study, the average cost of a data breach is $3.92 million.

However, there is a way to measure the impact of an attack without actually suffering one: a network security assessment.

What is a Network Security Assessment?

A network security assessment is, basically, an audit. It’s a review of your network’s security measures meant to find vulnerabilities in your system. Such a risk assessment starts by taking stock of any assets that might be compromised by a bad actor, understanding how those assets might be compromised, and then prescribing the steps that should be taken to protect those assets.

There are two kinds of network security assessments: a vulnerability assessment, which shows organizations where their weaknesses are, and a penetration test, which mimics an actual attack.

Meeting compliance requirements and mitigating potential threats are essential goals of network security assessments. These ensure organizations remain resilient against evolving cyber risks and real-world attacks. Additionally, penetration testing can simulate real-world scenarios to expose network weaknesses effectively, which is crucial for meeting regulatory requirements.

The purpose of a network security assessment is to keep your networks, devices, and data safe and secure by discovering any potential entry points for cyber attacks — from both inside and outside your organization. It’s also a way of running through possible attacks. Penetration tests can test the effectiveness of your network’s defenses and measure the potential impact of an attack on specific assets. What happens if certain systems are breached? What data is exposed? How many records are likely to be compromised? What would have to be done to mitigate that attack? A security assessment serves as a dry run should your network ever be breached.

Assessing and improving security controls is a critical component of any effective assessment strategy. It ensures that your defenses are prepared for real-world attacks and align with recognized security standards. Comprehensive network security assessments provide the in-depth analysis necessary to identify and address security gaps effectively.

Ensuring the integrity of your network infrastructure through regular network security assessments is vital for supporting secure operations and protecting sensitive data from unauthorized access. A proactive approach helps mitigate risks before they escalate into security breaches or significant operational disruptions.

A Security Risk Assessment Methodology

Most basic risk assessments follow the same general steps:

1. Take Inventory of Your Resources

What are your organization’s most valuable assets? Before you can test them for vulnerabilities, you must first take stock of the networks, devices, data, and other assets your organization wants to secure. You should document your entire IT infrastructure as part of this step. That will give you a complete map of your networks so that if you’re ever attacked, you’ll be able to quickly find the attacker.

By identifying potential risks at this stage, your security team can focus its efforts on areas of highest priority, reducing the likelihood of critical systems being compromised and enhancing your overall security posture. This step also makes sure that common vulnerabilities, such as unpatched software or human error, are thoroughly accounted for. Regulatory requirements should also be considered during this phase to ensure compliance.

2. Assess the Vulnerability of Your Assets

Once you know what your assets are, you can start examining them to find vulnerabilities. Threats can come from anywhere: from outside your organization, internal personnel with bad security habits, or third parties with sloppy security practices and access to your network. Because risks can be so varied, your assessment should be comprehensive. A good assessment should include:

• A comprehensive scan of all your network’s ports and other vectors
• An assessment of your internal weaknesses
• A scan of wi-fi, the Internet of Things, and other wireless networks
• A review of third parties access to your networks and assets
• A review of policies around employee behavior, like bringing in rogue devices or opening suspicious emails.

Identifying potential vulnerabilities during this step enables organizations to implement targeted security patches, improve their network scanning practices, and ensure third-party vendors adhere to strict security standards. Security professionals play a critical role in this phase, leveraging their expertise to uncover network weaknesses and develop actionable solutions. These efforts also minimize the risk of security breaches caused by unaddressed security gaps.

3. Test Your Defenses

At this point, some organizations may want to actively test their defenses by conducting penetration tests to see if an attacker can easily breach their assets. While an assessment is important in identifying risks, a penetration test will show you how easy it is to breach your network.

Different types of network security assessments, including penetration testing and vulnerability scans, can help organizations evaluate their preparedness against diverse threats and improve their remediation efforts. Regular assessments further ensure vulnerabilities stemming from human error or outdated practices are swiftly addressed. Security experts often emphasize the importance of these tests to uncover vulnerabilities that may not be immediately apparent.

Regular network security assessments ensure defenses stay current and aligned with emerging cyber threats, providing ongoing assurance of system protection. Detailed reports from these assessments offer clarity on the steps needed to mitigate identified risks. Comprehensive network security assessments also strengthen an organization’s ability to anticipate and respond to advanced security threats.

4. Shore up the Weak Spots

By this point, you should have found some weak points in your network. List your vulnerabilities and then make plans to remediate them.

5. Continuously Monitor Your Security

The best, most comprehensive network risk security assessment won’t keep your assets safe forever. Because threats and technology are constantly changing, so are your risks, so it’s important to continuously monitor and review your risk environment so that your organization can respond to any new attacks or threats quickly and efficiently.

Proactive monitoring enables your security team to stay vigilant against potential threats and maintain a strong defense against cyber risks, especially when managing third-party vendors. By incorporating penetration testing into ongoing reviews, your team can adapt to emerging attack methods effectively and close security gaps identified in earlier assessments.

How SecurityScorecard Can Help

It’s hard to manage risk unless you have a full picture of your organization’s vulnerabilities. That’s why a network security assessment is so important. It helps you develop a map of your IT infrastructure that shows you where all your weak spots are.

To keep that map current, day to day, it’s important to invest in smart tools that will scan your infrastructure for vulnerabilities. SecurityScorecard, for example, allows you to easily monitor security risk across your entire enterprise for a customized view of your entire footprint.

With robust tools and insights, you can address compliance requirements, implement effective security controls, and ensure your organization’s cybersecurity measures meet industry benchmarks and align with internal security policies. Security professionals can leverage these tools to generate detailed reports, providing a clear roadmap for remediation efforts and demonstrating compliance with regulatory requirements.

Our custom scorecards enable portfolio cybersecurity risk monitoring, remediation, and documentation so that your organization can secure its systems, networks, software, and data.

With custom scorecards, your enterprise can gain more detailed information about how different business lines impact your security score. We also provide suggestions that will allow you to address any issues bringing your security score down so that you can keep your network secure continuously.