Cybersecurity Due Diligence Checklist

This task involves identifying and documenting all digital assets that the organization owns. Digital assets include websites, databases, servers, applications, and any other platforms or systems used for storing or processing data. The goal is to create an inventory of all digital assets to ensure comprehensive cybersecurity coverage. Key questions to consider: 1. What tools or resources can be used to identify all digital assets? 2. How can you ensure that no digital assets are missed? 3. What information needs to be documented for each digital asset? Required form fields: - shortText: Asset name - longText: Asset description - subtasks: Asset classification - dropdown: Asset owner - multiChoice: Asset location

This task involves defining data classification and categorization criteria to determine the sensitivity and importance of different types of data. Data classification helps prioritize security measures and allocate appropriate resources. The goal is to establish a consistent and standardized approach to data classification across the organization. Key questions to consider: 1. What criteria will be used to classify data (e.g., confidentiality, integrity, availability)? 2. How many data classification categories will be used? 3. What process will be followed to classify existing data? Required form fields: - multiChoice: Data classification criteria - numbers: Number of data classification categories - subtasks: Steps for classifying existing data

In this task, we will conduct a risk assessment to identify and evaluate cybersecurity vulnerabilities that may pose a threat to the organization's digital assets and data. The goal is to prioritize vulnerabilities based on their potential impact and likelihood of exploitation. Key questions to consider: 1. What methods or tools can be used to assess cybersecurity risks? 2. How will the impact and likelihood of each vulnerability be determined? 3. Who should be involved in the risk assessment process? Required form fields: - longText: Description of vulnerability - dropdown: Vulnerability impact - dropdown: Likelihood of exploitation - members: Risk assessment team - multiChoice: Mitigation actions

This task involves reviewing and understanding the cybersecurity compliance requirements that the organization must adhere to. Compliance requirements may include industry standards, regulations, and contractual obligations. The goal is to ensure that the organization is meeting all necessary cybersecurity compliance requirements. Key questions to consider: 1. What specific compliance requirements apply to the organization? 2. How will compliance with each requirement be assessed? 3. Who is responsible for monitoring compliance? Required form fields: - longText: Compliance requirement - dropdown: Compliance assessment method - members: Compliance monitoring team - date: Compliance deadline

This task involves identifying and documenting all data storage and processing locations used by the organization. Data storage and processing locations include on-premises servers, cloud providers, third-party data centers, and remote offices. The goal is to create an inventory of all data storage and processing locations to ensure effective cybersecurity management. Key questions to consider: 1. How can all data storage and processing locations be identified? 2. What information needs to be documented for each location? 3. How can the security measures of each location be assessed? Required form fields: - shortText: Location name - longText: Location description - multiChoice: Location type - email: Contact email - members: Location owner

This task involves conducting an audit of existing cybersecurity policies to evaluate their effectiveness and identify areas for improvement. The goal is to ensure that cybersecurity policies align with industry best practices and adequately address the organization's needs. Key questions to consider: 1. What criteria will be used to evaluate cybersecurity policies? 2. How will the audit be conducted? 3. Who should be involved in the audit process? Required form fields: - longText: Policy name - multiChoice: Policy objective - members: Audit team - date: Audit completion date

This task involves reviewing all cybersecurity protocols and procedures to ensure that they are up to date and effective. Protocols and procedures may include password policies, access control measures, incident response plans, and network security configurations. The goal is to identify any gaps or weaknesses in the existing protocols and procedures. Key questions to consider: 1. What specific protocols and procedures need to be reviewed? 2. How will the effectiveness of each protocol and procedure be assessed? 3. Who should be involved in the review process? Required form fields: - longText: Protocol or procedure name - dropdown: Assessment method - members: Review team - date: Review completion date

This task involves checking for potential data leaks and breaches by analyzing logs, monitoring network traffic, and conducting vulnerability assessments. The goal is to identify any unauthorized access, data exfiltration, or other security incidents that may indicate a data leak or breach. Key questions to consider: 1. What tools or techniques can be used to check for potential data leaks and breaches? 2. How frequently should data leak and breach checks be conducted? 3. Who should be involved in the checking process? Required form fields: - longText: Check method - dropdown: Check frequency - members: Check team - date: Last check date

This task involves conducting penetration testing to identify vulnerabilities and weaknesses in the organization's infrastructure and systems. Penetration testing simulates real-world attacks to assess the resilience of security controls and detect any potential breaches. Key questions to consider: 1. What scope will be covered in the penetration testing? 2. What techniques and tools will be used for the testing? 3. Who should be involved in conducting and analyzing the test results? Required form fields: - longText: Testing scope - multiChoice: Testing techniques - members: Testing team - date: Testing completion date

Review and evaluate the organization's security incident response plan to ensure its effectiveness and alignment with industry best practices. This task helps in preparing the organization for effective handling of security incidents. The desired result is an updated and validated incident response plan. What will be included in the review of the incident response plan? How will you evaluate its effectiveness? Will you involve relevant stakeholders or subject matter experts? Consider potential challenges such as outdated procedures or lack of awareness about the plan. Use the review findings to update and enhance the incident response plan.

Review and assess the effectiveness of staff training programs in cybersecurity awareness and best practices. This task helps in ensuring that employees have the necessary knowledge and skills to protect sensitive information. The desired result is an assessment report highlighting any gaps or areas for improvement in staff training. What training programs will be reviewed? How will you assess their effectiveness? Will you involve relevant stakeholders or training experts? Consider potential challenges such as lack of engagement or limited resources for training. Use the assessment findings to enhance and prioritize staff training initiatives.

Verify and validate the effectiveness of the organization's cyber threat detection tools and technologies. This task helps in ensuring that the organization has robust mechanisms in place to detect and respond to potential threats. The desired result is an assessment report on the effectiveness of the cyber threat detection tools. How will you verify the effectiveness of the detection tools? Will you engage external experts or use internal resources? What metrics or benchmarks will be used? Consider potential challenges such as false positives or outdated detection mechanisms. Use the assessment findings to enhance the cyber threat detection capabilities.

Check and assess the organization's adherence to data backup and recovery procedures. This task helps in ensuring that critical data is adequately backed up and recoverable in the event of data loss or system failure. The desired result is an assessment report highlighting any gaps or areas for improvement in data backup and recovery processes. How will you check adherence to the procedures? What metrics or documentation will be reviewed? Will you involve relevant stakeholders or backup administrators? Consider potential challenges such as incomplete backups or insufficient testing of recovery processes. Use the assessment findings to enhance data backup and recovery practices.

Evaluate physical security measures in place within the organization to protect sensitive information and equipment. This task helps in assessing the physical vulnerabilities and the effectiveness of controls. The desired result is an assessment report highlighting any physical security gaps or areas for improvement. What physical security measures will be evaluated? How will you assess their effectiveness? Will you involve relevant stakeholders or security experts? Consider potential challenges such as limited access to physical areas or outdated security technologies. Use the assessment findings to enhance physical security measures.

Conduct social engineering awareness tests to assess the organization's resilience against social engineering attacks. This task helps in identifying potential vulnerabilities in employee behavior and awareness. The desired result is an assessment report highlighting any gaps or areas for improvement in social engineering awareness. How will you conduct the social engineering awareness tests? What techniques or scenarios will be used? Will you involve external experts or use internal resources? Consider potential challenges such as resistance to simulated attacks or limited awareness about social engineering threats. Use the assessment findings to enhance employee awareness and response to social engineering attacks.

Check for unnecessary data within the organization's infrastructure and securely dispose of it. This task helps in reducing the potential attack surface and mitigating the risk of data breaches. The desired result is a clean and lean data environment. How will you identify unnecessary data? What criteria or processes will be used? How will you securely dispose of the data? Consider potential challenges such as data retention policies or fragmented data storage. Involve relevant stakeholders to ensure proper disposal of unnecessary data and adherence to data protection regulations.

Evaluate the security measures implemented by third-party service providers who handle sensitive data or have access to the organization's systems. This task helps in ensuring the security and trustworthiness of external vendors. The desired result is an evaluation report highlighting any security gaps or areas for improvement in third-party service providers' security measures. How will you evaluate the security measures? Will you involve external auditors or use internal resources? What documentation or evidence will be collected? Consider potential challenges such as limited cooperation from vendors or lack of contractual obligations for security. Use the evaluation findings to enhance vendor management and security controls.

Review all findings and assessments from the cybersecurity due diligence process and recommend improvements and remedial measures. This task ensures that identified vulnerabilities and gaps are addressed effectively. The desired result is a comprehensive list of recommendations for cybersecurity improvements. What criteria or prioritization process will be used to determine recommendations? Will you involve relevant stakeholders or subject matter experts in the decision-making process? Consider potential challenges such as limited resources or conflicts with other strategic initiatives. Develop an actionable plan for implementing the recommended improvements and prioritize them based on the risk severity.