Security auditing tools

Skip to main content. This browser is no longer supported. Download Microsoft Edge More info. Contents Exit focus mode. Is this page helpful? IT auditing and cybersecurity go hand-in-hand. In-depth financial details and other highly sensitive data about employees, clients, and customers are common within your IT infrastructure.

Cyberattackers lurk in the shadows, waiting for—and creating—opportunities to strike and access this trove of data. Conducting annual audits helps you identify weaknesses early and put proper patches in place to keep attackers at bay. Many IT teams choose to audit more regularly, whether for their own security preferences or to demonstrate compliance to a new or prospective client. Certain compliance frameworks may also require audits more or less often.

A slew of IT security standards require an audit. While some apply broadly to the IT industry, many are more sector-specific, pertaining directly, for instance, to healthcare or financial institutions. Below is a short list of some of the most-discussed IT security standards in existence today.

Whether conducting your own internal audit or preparing for an external auditor, several best practices can be put in place to help ensure the entire process runs smoothly.

Assessing the security of your IT infrastructure and preparing for a security audit can be overwhelming. Not every item may apply to your network, but this should serve as a sound starting point for any system administrator. A vast array of third-party software tools exist to help you streamline your auditing endeavors and protect your IT infrastructure, but which one is right for you? To start, this tool aggregates all log files and user account permissions, providing you with in-depth visibility into your IT infrastructure via one easy-to-access dashboard.

From an automation standpoint, I love how ARM allows its users to automatically deprovision accounts once predetermined thresholds have been crossed. This helps system administrators mitigate threats and keep attackers at bay. Try the free day trial and see for yourself. Network security auditing is key for protecting any business that utilizes networked resources.

SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager NCM is designed for sysadmins to audit their network as well as deploy configuration changes to devices across the network. This combination of features allows you to not only make security-related configuration changes but also monitor for new and unauthorized changes on your devices. The tool automatically scans and monitors the network for devices, and allows you to decide how you want to manage the security of your network, and the devices that reside in it.

For instance, you can choose to either be alerted when devices are missing firmware updates, or have the updates automatically applied. Oftentimes systems and software can break when trying to apply new updates or security changes, creating additional work. The platform has a robust alerting feature that allows for alerts on new configuration changes, as well as new risks that are detected. The tool even has a rollback feature which gives you the option to quickly roll back to a certain configuration status of your choosing.

SolarWinds supports dozens of integrations so porting alerts over to your ticketing system is also a viable option if you run a NOC or helpdesk. Lastly, reporting can be set to produce quarterly reports or detail specifics on what a security audit has detected. SolarWinds Network Configuration Manager is one of the best networking auditing tools in its class.

N-able RMM secures its spot at number two in our list of best network security auditing tools. This cloud-based tool provides remote monitoring as well as risk management and threat detection across multiple sites or clients simultaneously.

From a centralized dashboard, you can view risks on a per company, per facility, or in total view. Details such as the number of problem devices, backup status, and health checks can all be seen through a simple security digest that the dashboard provides.

The entire platform is entirely customizable, allowing you to create unique dashboard views for your network operation center, and other departments as needed.

Auditing templates help keep scans simple and pick up on specific compliance issues as well. For instance, there are built-in tools that can specifically scan and confirm if your network is currently HIPAA or PCI compliant and provide a supporting report. This level of risk management can stop specific information from leaving the network, as well as alerting when information is accessed inappropriately.

Security permissions can be scanned on files and folders to uncover incorrect permissions on user accounts based on company records as well. Lastly, N-able RMM has a strong patch management system, which allows you to create a template of the patching process.

So if there are updates you know that interfere with specific software you can copy these patch templates across to all of your clients in your MSP. You can test out all of N-able RMM features through a day free trial. ManageEngine Vulnerability Manager Plus is a very detailed but simple security auditing tool that can quickly identify high-risk activity, configurations, and outdated devices on your network. The tool also scans for known vulnerabilities and exploits that are being used to break into networks as well as propagate malware.

The top plan includes a throughput allowance of 25 GB per month with a two-week period when data is available for searching and a one-year archive period. All of these limits can be altered on consultation with the sales team to create a custom package. LogicGate is a governance, risk management, and compliance GRC tool. These features are particularly useful for businesses that need to show compliance to a major data security standard.

A business that operates a network security auditing strategy would benefit from many of the utilities in this service. You would use LogicGate at several points of your network security auditing workflow.

For a start, you should set up a risk framework that charts the aspects of your IT system and business practices that could be vulnerable to attack. You should set up governance guidelines, using the recommendations of LogicGate to create policies. Your auditing strategy then has an ideal to check reality against. The risk management parts of LogicGate help you search for system vulnerabilities that need to be tightened up.

LogicGate will produce IT security audit guidelines for your big internal audit that will keep your network security in a state of readiness for any external standards compliance audit.

This service creates a risk framework tailored to your industry and the standards with which you need to comply. LogicGate can also produce IT security audit guidelines, which are useful for a pre-assessment check as well as a tool for those performing the audit itself. LogicGate is a cloud-based service. Splunk Enterprise Security is an add-on package that is available for those who use Splunk Enterprise — the highest edition of the Splunk data analysis system.

The security service of Splunk is based on log file collection. It is a SIEM system that checks on events on the network to look for signs of intrusion and data theft. This function also provides a recursive network security auditing service.

The log files that Splunk Enterprise Security collects and files are stored so that they can be available for analysis and system auditing at any time. The Splunk system has its own internal auditing function, which keeps the system secure from insider threats. Both the log collection and management and the internal auditing service of Splunk Enterprise Security are necessary assistants for those businesses that need to prove compliance to a data security standard.

Splunk Enterprise installs on Windows or Linux and there is a day free trial available. The service is also available as a SaaS system, called Splunk Cloud and you can try that on a day free trial.

Add Splunk Enterprise Security to either of these systems. The add-on is available for a 7-day free trial. The total package of Splunk Enterprise Security, whether taken as on-premises software or a cloud service, will provide you with immediate security cover plus an audit trail for every type of network security auditing requirement. On opening an account, each customer gets a total system check, which looks for a list of known vulnerabilities. Thereafter, Intruder. Scans are launched from an external location and from within the network, through an agent program.

In total, a typical scan looks for 9. There are three plans for Intruder. These plans are called Essential, Pro, and Verified. The Essential plan gets the automated monthly scan. The Pro version allows users to launch scans on-demand whenever they want as well as provide the scheduled monthly system sweep.