Understanding the Familiarity Threat Audit: A Guide to Safeguard Your Organization
As organizations and businesses continue to rely on technology and digitization, they become more vulnerable to potential cyber-attacks. There are multiple types of threats that organizations could face, but one of the most pressing dangers is the familiarity threat. In this context, this article explores what a familiarity threat audit is, the importance it holds for businesses, and how it can help safeguard the organization against the danger of a familiarity threat.
What is a Familiarity Threat Audit?
A familiarity threat audit is an assessment that helps an organization identify threats that could arise from individuals or groups of individuals who have a connection or relation with the business in some form, be it a former employee or a partner. Familiarity threats are not always as apparent or straightforward as external security threats, which are usually the first to be addressed in an organization’s security operation.
The audit aims to locate and address potential issues within an organization’s security protocols that might be exploited by someone who knows the ins and outs of such protocols.
Why is the Familiarity Threat Audit Important?
Familiarity threats are becoming a more substantial concern in the world of cybersecurity due to increasing internal threats to organizations. A familiarity threat audit helps an organization to pinpoint and prevent issues in internal security protocols that are often left unknown and unaddressed, resulting in an increased risk of information breaches.
There are several benefits to conducting a familiarity threat audit, such as increased awareness of the potential risks, improving security protocols, and reducing the likelihood of successful attacks from insiders. It could be ineffective to rely solely on security measures that defend against external threats and ignore the severe danger from within.
How to Conduct a Familiarity Threat Audit?
A familiarity threat audit isn’t a one-size-fits-all process. It’s necessary to tailor the audit process to fit the organization’s specific needs and risks. The following steps provide a general guide to assist in conducting a familiarity threat audit.
Step 1: Conduct Risk Analysis
The first step involves analyzing the risks to the organization, including evaluation of the existing security protocols to identify potential vulnerabilities.
Step 2: Define the scope of the audit
Every organization’s security requirements differ, and the scope of the audit must be adjusted accordingly. It’s necessary to define the audit’s scope to ensure that all critical areas of vulnerability are addressed during the audit.
Step 3: Define the Audit Approach
After identifying the potential risks, defining the scope of the audit, and meeting with stakeholders, the next step is to detail the audit approach, which includes defining the level of access for auditors and deciding what data or information needs to be collected.
Step 4: Develop recommendations for improvement
The audit results should provide information that is utilized to devise recommendations aimed at addressing any gaps found in the organization’s security protocols.
Conclusion
Every organization must take the necessary action to address the threat of a familiarity threat in their security protocols. The discovery of internal vulnerabilities is frequently overlooked, leaving an organization exposed to internal attacks. Conducting a familiarity audit could assist in highlighting potential gaps and improving information security protocols accordingly, thereby preventing breaches that could result in irreparable damage to an organization’s reputation and financial status.
