Cyber Security Assessment Services
The Partner You Need To Uncover And Address Hidden Gaps In Your Security
To successfully protect your business, whether large or small, against cyber threats, it’s essential that you begin by identifying where your security weaknesses lie. At CSA we believe undertaking a full cyber risk assessment is an essential part of any organisation’s management strategy which is why we make it a priority for our clients. From there we will work with you to build a robust and personalised plan of action with effective mitigation and protection that is suited to your needs.
About Our Assessment Process
Cyber security assessments are an important tool to identify vulnerabilities in any organisation’s defences, validate the effectiveness of security controls and processes, and provide the support and advice required to address security risks.
Preventing breaches in cyber security in the first instance is our main priority at CSA, as early detection provides the opportunity to address security flaws before they can be exploited by cybercriminals.
Investing in secure networks does cost, but the price is incomparable to the cost of addressing a successful attack and undoing the damage left behind by a hacker. This includes the physical costs and potential GDPR fines (up to 4% of turnover) as well as the cost of commercial and reputational damage. It is a simple case of prevention being less costly than the cure.
At CSA, we offer different areas of cyber security assessments carried out by a team of experienced and certified cyber professionals. A number of CSA’s advisors are former UK Government cyber operations specialists who bring extensive Governmental and Industry cyber experience and expertise. At least one member of the assigned testing team will hold the Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) certification, in addition to bespoke cyber technical certifications and qualifications such as OSCP (Offensive Security Certified Professional).
M365 Security Assessment
A key solution for any organisation wanting to implement the best security practices whilst using M365
Although there are hundreds of configuration settings in each M365 tenancy, Microsoft does not automatically apply all the security settings and, as a result, can leave the tenancy and user accounts vulnerable and open to compromise. Keeping businesses secure and their data protected means using the intelligent built-in Microsoft security features that are often not implemented or used to their full potential. CSA’s Microsoft 365 Security Assessment is a key service for any organisation wanting to ensure they have implemented the best security practices whilst using M365 and maintain good cyber hygiene in their M365 tenancy.
CSA can conduct a full assessment of your company’s M365 instance to ensure you have all the necessary security controls correctly configured. Following the assessment, you will receive a report on our findings, as well as a technical assessment on the specific controls that need to be changed (each control to be changed will be based on the criticality of exposure). We can also assist in implementing and amending the required controls on your M365 tenancy for added peace of mind.
Maturity & Gap Analysis Assessment
A questionnaire and interview-based assessment designed to identify key gaps and areas of focus
A maturity and gap analysis assessment identifies the differences between the current, ideal and comparity state of data security within your company. It is a thorough assessment with various stages to gauge the level of cyber security maturity and understand control gaps where it would be best to focus your attention and budget. Following the assessment our expert CSA team will be able to define a quick win mitigation plan and help your company exercise reasonable governance over your cyber security, as well as devise an efficient next steps plan.
Cyber Assessment Framework
Assessment of cyber risk and controls against recognised frameworks: NIST, ISO 27001 and NCSC CAF (Cyber Assessment Framework)
The next step after deciding to complete an assessment is to determine the scope and scale. Understanding the goals of your cyber security assessment will help determine the type of framework that will work best for you. At CSA we offer two of the two of the most recognised: NIST and ISO 27001 to identify Improve upon and help provide comprehensive cyber security guidance. Our expert team also offers NCSC CAF (Cyber Assessment Framework) to provide guidance for organisations responsible for vitally important services and activities.
Technical Assessment
Expert-led vulnerability scan of IT infrastructure to identify potential risks and key gaps
Scanning for technical vulnerability can identify and address any security exposures before attackers can exploit them. CSA collects data and evidence through a number of available sources and uses scanning tools to scan all IP addresses on the network and to identify vulnerabilities such as out of date software and patches.
The assessment report will show a detailed network map of all endpoints which can be referenced against the companies IT asset register. Any devices that have been unofficially added to the network are identified - rogue devices are seldom hardened or secured and therefore introduce unwanted risk to the network.
This assessment is also used as a pre- Cyber Essentials Plus assessment,the Cyber Essentials Plus requires that networks covered by the certification are scanned for vulnerabilities every six months, this is good practice whether you are certified or not.
Penetration Testing
Identifying security holes in a network or application that a potential attacker could breach
At CSA, we use a methodical approach to penetration testing to uncover any weak spots. Once found, they are remedied to close any vulnerabilities before they can be exploited by a cybercriminal. We use the latest toolsets and hacking methodologies to test the defences of specific applications, servers, routers, networks and other devices, within scope systems, looking for a potential foothold. The foothold is then exploited to see how far the network can be penetrated. Every vulnerability found is documented with recommendations on how to address the issues to mitigate any future risk.
Policy And Processes
Policies and processes specifically designed to reflect an organisations current situation and to cover essential areas of operation aligned to either US NIST, ISO 27001 or framework of choice
CSA’s high level cyber audit produces a report which includes a maturity level rating with recommendations on how the organisation can improve in each area following policies and processes that are designed for you. We also offer our expert consultancy services following completion of the assessment to help implement some, or all, of the recommended actions aligned with controls against recognised frameworks.
Cyber Essentials Certification
CSA partners with a Certification Partner and Certified Provider to provide the formal assessment
Cyber Essentials is a certification designed to provide a statement of the basic controls your organisation should have in place to mitigate the risk from common cyber threats. Backed by the UK Government, the certification is developed by NCSC and ensures a safer internet space for organisations of all sizes and across all sectors. CSA provides the certification in partnership with a Certification Partner and Certified Provider as the best first step towards a more secure network to protect your business from cyber security breaches.
The certification defines a focused set of controls which provide clear guidance on basic cyber security for your business and offers a sound foundation of cyber security measures that all types of businesses can implement at a low cost. CSA helps businesses gain this certification and enables them to show their commitment to cyber security adding to their credentials as a trustworthy and secure company!
Ransomware Attack Simulation Service
A simulated ransomware attack that identifies vulnerabilities in IT systems and infrastructures
The deployment speed, level of destruction, lasting reputational damage and extortionate costs it takes to recover, together render ransomware one of the most immediate dangers faced by the UK.
The best way for an organisation to prove their defences can protect them if ransomware was deployed onto their IT systems and infrastructure is to put it to the test. At CSA, we designed our Ransomware Attack Simulation Service to do just that.
Undertaken by our team of expert cyber professionals, the service tests your IT defences and incident response capabilities by issuing a real-time ‘benign’ ransomware attack. Deployed safely and under the visibility of your own team, our simulated ransomware software will mimic an attack on your IT services and demonstrate what would happen to your IT systems if a real-life incident took place.
Following the ‘benign’ attack, we will be able to assess where any vulnerabilities lie, should there be any, and make recommendations on corrective actions and solutions to help strengthen your IT defences for the future.
Case Studies
Cyber Framework Assessments
CSA was approached by a council-led company to conduct a full cyber framework assessment against all of its IT and operations infrastructures. The company chose to be benchmarked against the Cyber Essentials framework and the NCSC
