What is a cloud audit?
A cloud audit is a process of assessing an organization's cloud infrastructure in order to examine and improve the availability of the data and consider the overall performance and significant cloud security concerns. The cloud service provider or a third-party auditor conducts the cloud audit process. The process includes performing a technical investigation and presentation and compiling a comprehensive report on the performance of the existing cloud infrastructure. The auditor obtains the information during the audit through physical examination, observation, investigation, re-performance, or analytics.
There are various steps involved in a cloud audit in order to form an opinion regarding the design and operational efficacy of controls identified in multiple areas, such as security reports and incidents, risk management, data management, communication, network security, system development, vulnerability assessment, etc.
Types of cloud audit
Depending on the intended scope and organizational needs, various cloud audits can be performed.
Vulnerability scanning audit
Vulnerability scanning is an auditing process that focuses on identifying security vulnerabilities and flaws that could compromise the reliability and security of an IT system. It is an automated process that improves and enhances network and system security by preventing and eliminating cyberattacks and other malicious activities. Vulnerability scanning audit analyzes computer systems, network boundaries, and web applications for known vulnerabilities using automated scanners. And it also examined cloud environments and infrastructures, network service applications, Docker containers, and Kubernetes containers.
Configuration hardening audit
Configuration hardening is the process of proactively assessing the protected systems against cyberattacks by minimizing the attack surface and improving system fortification. The main objective of a configuration hardening audit is to prevent as many potential exploits as feasible. Network devices, virtual machines, containers, clusters, and virtual and physical cloud systems are some assessment criteria for the configuration hardening audit.
Cloud infrastructure audit
A cloud infrastructure security, performance, and cost assessment audit aim to identify infrastructure vulnerabilities, threats, and configuration errors inside the cloud environment. It can also determine whether or not a cloud service provides adequate logging and monitoring capabilities, improve risk management, and validate access and security policies.
Benefits of cloud audit
There are numerous benefits of auditing the cloud for the company, including:
Reduced cost by eliminating unnecessary services and resources
Provides a higher level of efficiency
Enhanced cloud security as the infrastructure is less susceptible to malfunction
Verifies data security compliance in the cloud and provides the capability for quick disaster recovery
How can InfosecTrain help?
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