Essential Cybersecurity Checklist
Comprehensive security assessment checklist to protect your business from modern cyber threats. Identify vulnerabilities and implement critical security controls.
2025 Threat Landscape
Comprehensive Security Checklist
Essential security controls organized by category. Required items are critical for baseline security.
Access Control & Authentication
Multi-factor authentication (MFA) on all accounts
Password policy (14+ characters, complexity requirements)
Regular access reviews and deprovisioning
Privileged access management (PAM) solution
Single sign-on (SSO) implementation
Biometric authentication for sensitive areas
Network Security
Next-generation firewall with IPS/IDS
Network segmentation and VLANs
VPN for remote access
Regular vulnerability scanning
Zero-trust network architecture
Network access control (NAC)
Endpoint Protection
Endpoint detection and response (EDR)
Anti-malware on all devices
Automatic OS and software patching
Device encryption (BitLocker/FileVault)
USB port control and monitoring
Application whitelisting
Data Protection
Regular automated backups (3-2-1 rule)
Backup encryption and offsite storage
Data loss prevention (DLP) policies
Email encryption for sensitive data
Database encryption at rest
Data classification and labeling
Security Monitoring
Security Information and Event Management (SIEM)
24/7 security monitoring
Threat intelligence feeds
User behavior analytics (UBA)
Dark web monitoring for data leaks
Honeypots for threat detection
Employee Training
Annual security awareness training
Phishing simulation testing
Incident reporting procedures
Clean desk policy
Social engineering awareness
Role-specific security training
Incident Response
Written incident response plan
Incident response team identified
Communication plan for breaches
Regular tabletop exercises
Forensic investigation capability
Cyber insurance policy
Compliance & Governance
Security policies and procedures documented
Regular security audits
Vendor risk assessments
Compliance with industry regulations
Security metrics and KPIs tracked
Board-level security reporting
Quick Security Wins
High-impact security improvements you can implement today
Enable MFA on all admin accounts
Update all software and OS patches
Review and disable unused user accounts
Configure automatic screen locks
Block dangerous file extensions in email
Implement email banner warnings for external emails
Top Threats for 2025
Emerging threats your organization needs to prepare for
Ransomware-as-a-Service (RaaS)
Sophisticated ransomware attacks available to low-skill attackers
Mitigation: Immutable backups, EDR, zero-trust architecture
Supply Chain Attacks
Compromises through trusted third-party software and services
Mitigation: Vendor risk assessments, software bill of materials (SBOM)
AI-Powered Phishing
Highly personalized and convincing phishing attacks using AI
Mitigation: Advanced email filtering, continuous user training
Cloud Misconfigurations
Exposed data due to incorrect cloud security settings
Mitigation: Cloud security posture management (CSPM), regular audits
IoT Device Exploits
Attacks through unsecured IoT and OT devices
Mitigation: Network segmentation, IoT device inventory and patching
Security Best Practices
DO
- Implement defense in depth with multiple security layers
- Assume breach and plan accordingly
- Test backups regularly with restore drills
- Keep an offline copy of critical data
- Document and practice incident response
- Conduct regular security awareness training
DON'T
- Rely on a single security solution
- Ignore security alerts or warnings
- Use default or shared credentials
- Postpone critical security patches
- Grant excessive permissions
- Assume you're too small to be targeted
Don't Wait for a Breach to Act
Get a comprehensive security assessment and protect your business today
24/7 incident response available • SOC 2 compliant • Decades of securing NC businesses