A network security audit checklist is used to proactively assess the security and integrity of organizational networks. IT managers and network security teams can use this digitized checklist to help uncover threats by checking the following items—firewall, computers and network devices, user accounts, malware, software, and other network security protocols.
The organisation should have a firewall or equivalent in place to protect their internal network and devices against unauthorised access
The password on the firewall device should be changed from the default to an alternative strong password
The firewall password is:
• at least 8 characters long
• not the same as the username
• does not contain any identical characters next to each other
• is not a dictionary word
• includes upper and lower case letters, numbers and special characters
• has not been reused within a predetermined time period
• has not been used for another account
Each rule set on the firewall must be approved by an authorised individual and documented including an explanation of the business need for this rule.
Unapproved or vulnerable services should be blocked at the gateway firewall
Any permissive firewall rules that are no longer required should be disabled as soon as possible
The firewall’s boundary administration settings should not be accessible from the internet
Computers and Network Devices (including Wireless Access Points and Routers)
IMPORTANT: All computers and devices on the network must comply with the following in order to give a ‘Yes’ response.
All unnecessary user accounts, guest or admin accounts should be removed or disabled
All user account passwords meet the following requirements:
• has been changed from the default password
• at least 8 characters long
• not the same as the username
• does not contain any identical characters next to each other
• is not a dictionary word
• includes upper and lower case letters, numbers and special characters
• has not been reused within a predetermined time period
• has not been used for another account
All unnecessary software applications and utilities should be removed or disabled
All auto-run features should be disabled including for removable storage media and for network folders
An operating systems with integrated desktop firewall should be used on desktop PCs and laptops and configured to block unapproved connections by default. In the latest operating systems, active, and configured.
User Accounts
All users accounts and their privileges should be subject to an approval process and should be documented
Admin privileges and any other special access privileges should be restricted to authorised individuals and documented
Admin accounts should only be used to perform admin tasks and not for everyday access
Admin accounts should be set to require a password change every 60 days or less
Every individual user should have a unique user name and user account
Every user password should meet the following requirements:
• at least 8 characters long
• not the same as the username
• does not contain any identical characters next to each other
• is not a dictionary word
• includes upper and lower case letters, numbers and special characters
• has not been reused within a predetermined time period
• has not been used for another account
Any user account with special privileges or admin rights should be removed or disabled when no longer required or if the individual changes role or leaves the organisation or after a predefined length of inactivity (eg. if the account is not used for 90 days then it is disabled)
Malware Protection
Malware protection software is to be installed on all computers that can access the internet or are capable of accessing the internet
Malware protection software is to be kept up to date daily
Malware protection software should be configured to scan files automatically upon access and to scan web pages when being accessed via a web browser
Malware protection software should be configured to perform regular scans of all files
Malware protection software should prevent connections to malicious websites on the internet (e.g. by using website blacklisting).
Software Patch Management
Software on any devices that are connected to or are capable of connecting to the internet must be licensed and supported to ensure vulnerabilities are investigated and patches made available.
All software updates and security patches that are made available should be installed in a timely manner
Any unsupported software should be removed from any computer or device capable of connecting to the internet
Others
Wireless Protected Setup (WPS) to be disabled on all wireless devices
Universal Plug n Play (UPnP) to be disabled
Guest WiFi access to be implemented for visitors and employee owned devices
Employee owned devices that can access company email or information will require malware software
All network servers must have a daily automated backup solution with backup data stored securely offsite (encrypted)
Encryption of all sensitive data stored on mobile devices and removable storage devices
Do not allow staff to use file sharing or cloud storage services for company data such as DropBox, OneDrive, Google Drive, iCloud – unless they are authorised by and secured for your organisation.
Staff should not be permitted to use personal social media accounts on organisation-owned devices or on any devices connected to the network unless specifically authorised to do so.
Please note that this checklist template is a hypothetical appuses-hero example and provides only standard information. The template does not aim to replace, among other things, workplace, health and safety advice, medical advice, diagnosis or treatment, or any other applicable law. You should seek your professional advice to determine whether the use of such a checklist is appropriate in your workplace or jurisdiction.
