Security Spotlight: Vulnerability Scanning

The American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) lays out criteria that are assessed when your organization undergoes the System and Organization Controls (SOC) 2 examination process. These criteria are designed to ensure that your organization has controls in place that support the security and any other in-scope categories of your SOC 2 audit such as availability, processing integrity, confidentiality, and/or privacy. One of the best ways to determine if your organization’s infrastructure and/or web application are secure is to conduct regular vulnerability scans.                                        

What is Vulnerability Scanning?

Vulnerability scanning locates possible points of exploitation on a device or network to identify cybersecurity risks. It is part of a larger vulnerability management program, which helps protect an organization against security breaches. Vulnerability scanning can help your organization identify security vulnerabilities by simulating how a malicious adversary may try to attack your system. Vulnerability scanning also involves remediating deficiencies and changing your organization’s processes in response to the scan. Note that a vulnerability scan is different than a penetration test, as a penetration test is much more exhaustive.

Vulnerability Scanning and SOC 2

As a part of the SOC 2 process, organizations are required to monitor their security controls, and having regular vulnerability scans is a helpful way to mitigate cybersecurity risks. When considering vulnerability scanning as part of your SOC 2 controls, it is also important to evaluate scope and documentation. The scope of your vulnerability scan should align with your SOC 2 report, meaning that testing should cover the relevant systems and applications that are within your SOC 2 examination.

The vulnerability scan, along with documentation of timely remediation for any significant findings, will serve as strong evidence that your information security monitoring controls are suitably designed and operating effectively.

Helping You Get There…

No matter where you are on your journey to SOC 2 compliance, you may have questions. Boulay has a team of experts who are ready to answer. To learn more about vulnerability scanning or how our SOC 2 reporting services help you get there, connect with a member of Boulay’s Risk Advisory Team today.