Security Audits

ALSO CALLED: Network Security Audits, Auditing (Computer Security), IT Security Audits, Computer Audits, Audits, Auditing
DEFINITION: A security audit is a systematic evaluation of the security of acompany's information system by measuring how well it conforms to aset of established criteria. A thorough audit typically assesses the security of the system's physical configuration and environment, software, information handling processes, and user practices. Security audits are often used to determine regulatory compliance, in the  … 
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SECURITY AUDITS DEFINITION (continued): …  wake of legislation (such as HIPAA, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, and the California Security Breach Information Act) that specifies how organizations must deal with information. Learn more about audits at SearchCompliance.com. According to Ira Winkler, president of the Internet Security Advisors Group, security audits, vulnerability assessments, and penetration testing are the three main types of security diagnostics. Each of the three takes a different approach and may be best suited for a particular purpose. Security audits measure an information system's performance against a list of criteria. … 
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