Use endpoint detection and response (EDR) tools

EDR solutions provide visibility into endpoint activities, allowing IT teams to detect and respond to threats before they cause harm.

Enforce encryption protocols

EDR solutions provide visibility into endpoint activities, allowing IT teams to detect and respond to threats before they cause harm.

Use robust antivirus and anti-malware software

Antivirus and anti-malware solutions are critical in defending against malicious software. Ensure that all devices are equipped with up-to-date protection.

Establish clear security policies

Employees play a significant role in maintaining endpoint security. To create a security-conscious culture, establish clear policies for device usage, such as securing devices when not in use, avoiding untrusted networks, and reporting lost or stolen devices immediately.

Conduct regular employee training

Policies are only as effective as those who follow them. Regular training sessions help staff understand how to use company-issued devices securely, recognize potential threats like phishing, and adhere to company policies. When employees and contractors are highly aware, the likelihood of devices being compromised is reduced.

Additional considerations for hybrid or remote workplaces

If you employ a hybrid or remote workforce, consider deploying cloud-based security solutions to manage and secure remote endpoints. Specific types of cloud-based security solutions include:

3. Establish robust data protection and backup processes

Data protection is critical to a cybersecurity checklist to avoid data breaches, ransomware attacks, or the loss of vital company information. Strong data protection policies ensure that data is secure at all times, both in storage and transit. Limiting the data you collect to only what is essential for business purposes is also a key aspect of reducing risk.

Encrypt sensitive data

Encryption should be applied to sensitive data both when it’s stored (at rest) and when it’s being transmitted. Regularly test your encryption protocols to ensure they’re functioning correctly.

Have clear data retention and destruction policies

Holding unnecessary sensitive data increases the risk of exposure. Define clear policies for retaining data only as long as needed and securely destroy it when it’s no longer required.

Conduct frequent and secure backups

Regular backups ensure your company can recover its data in case of a ransomware attack or system failure. Backups should be automatic, secure, and stored in multiple locations (e.g., cloud and on-premises).

Implement a secure mobile device management (MDM) solution

As more employees use personal devices for work, securing these devices is essential. MDM solutions help enforce security policies, such as remote wiping if a device is lost or stolen.

Establish cloud security

Ensure that cloud providers offer robust security controls, including encryption, access management, and regular data backups. Always vet providers to ensure they meet your security requirements.

4. Establish access control and authentication procedures

Adding access control authentication procedures to your cybersecurity checklist ensures that only authorized individuals access specific systems and data. Businesses can significantly reduce the risk of internal and external breaches by limiting access and using advanced authentication methods.

Conduct regular user access reviews

Regularly reviewing who has access to what ensures that only the right people can access sensitive information. This also helps identify any unnecessary or outdated access permissions.

Follow the principle of least privilege

This principle states that users should only have the minimum level of access necessary to perform their job. Applying this principle reduces the chances of insider threats or accidental breaches.

Document access controls

Documenting access controls is critical for maintaining accountability and ensuring that security policies are consistently applied. Formalizing these controls into official company policies ensures clarity around who has access to which systems and why, helping to prevent unauthorized access and aiding in compliance with regulatory requirements.

Use multi-factor authentication (MFA)

Implement MFA on all of your systems. MFA provides an extra layer of security by requiring users to provide two or more forms of verification before accessing a system. This dramatically reduces the risk of unauthorized access.

Implement single sign-on (SSO)

SSO simplifies access management by allowing users to log in to multiple systems with a single set of credentials. This improves user experience and makes it easier to manage and secure access.

Disaster recovery plan (DRP)

A DRP outlines how your business will continue to operate after a cyberattack or other catastrophic event. It should include detailed steps for restoring critical systems, data, and operations. To ensure continuity, regularly update your DRP to reflect new technologies or changes in operations.

Clear stakeholder roles and communication protocols

Every minute counts during a breach. Ensure all stakeholders—from IT to legal to executive teams—know their roles and responsibilities to contain the breach swiftly. Establish clear internal communication protocols to coordinate the response and external protocols to inform customers, partners, and regulators as necessary. Having pre-drafted communications can help prevent confusion during a crisis.

Incident classification and prioritization

Not all security incidents are equally urgent. Your plan should include guidelines for classifying incidents by severity and prioritizing responses based on potential impact. This ensures that the most critical incidents are addressed immediately.

Containment, eradication, and recovery

Define how to contain the breach, eradicate the threat, and recover systems. Include detailed steps for each phase and the tools and personnel required to execute them.

Regular testing and simulations

Periodically test your incident response plan through simulated attacks, such as tabletop exercises or penetration tests. This helps identify weaknesses and familiarizes your team with their roles under pressure. Post-test reviews are crucial for refining the plan and ensuring readiness.

Post-incident review and improvement

Conduct a full review of the response after any incident to identify gaps or inefficiencies. Document lessons learned, adjust the plan accordingly, and implement improvements to strengthen your future defenses.

Centralize risk tracking with a risk register

Implement a risk register to log and assess all organizational risks. This provides a unified view of risks across departments, ensuring that everyone from IT to leadership understands the risk landscape and priorities. Use standardized scoring for each risk’s likelihood and impact to evaluate their severity consistently.

Link risks to controls

Map identified risks to your current security controls to ensure mitigation measures are in place. For instance, a risk involving sensitive data exposure should be linked to controls about how you handle encryption, access controls, and monitor for data exfiltration. This helps you quickly identify gaps where additional controls may be needed.

Monitor and update risks in real-time

Regularly review and update the risk register to account for new vulnerabilities, such as those caused by system updates or evolving cyber threats. Continuous monitoring helps your team respond swiftly, minimizing the impact of incidents.

Use dashboards for visibility and reporting

Leverage real-time dashboards to visualize risk levels and the effectiveness of mitigation efforts. These reports offer clear insights for leadership, ensuring alignment on the most pressing risks and the actions to address them.

Conduct regular risk assessments

Schedule periodic assessments to evaluate new risks and adjust mitigation strategies. These assessments ensure that your risk management approach evolves in response to changing business needs and threat landscapes.

8. Implement adaptive control testing

Adaptive control testing is an integral part of maintaining a strong cybersecurity posture, and thus, an important part of your cybersecurity checklist. Organizations can automate control testing by leveraging a SaaS platform such as Hyperproof, ensuring that controls remain effective and compliant with internal and external requirements.

Check for credentials

When selecting a new software platform or outsourcing any business functions, always check which compliance certificates the vendor has earned and frameworks the vendor follows. Depending on your industry, look for standards such as ISO 27001, SOC 2®, or GDPR compliance. Additionally, periodically assess existing vendors to ensure their security practices continue to meet your company’s evolving requirements. Identify gaps in their protocols, such as inadequate encryption or poor access controls, and work with vendors to mitigate risks.

Ask about their security practices

Ask your vendor tailored security questions focusing on key risk areas relevant to your business, such as data protection, encryption, and access management. You can streamline this process with security questionnaire automation tools, tracking vendor responses and flagging incomplete or concerning results, allowing your team to follow up quickly and address potential risks before they escalate.

Ongoing monitoring and collaboration

Vendor risk management shouldn’t be a one-time exercise. Continuously monitor your riskiest vendors for changes in their security posture, such as breaches, changes in compliance status, or shifts in their data-handling practices. Establish a collaborative relationship with key vendors, where security improvements and audits are part of the regular business dialogue. This proactive approach ensures that both parties are aligned in maintaining robust security defenses.

10. Get appropriate cyber insurance coverage

Given the frequency of data breaches and the fact that data privacy laws have increased businesses’ responsibility for protecting customer data, cyber insurance is a must in today’s business environment. It’s essential to add this to your cybersecurity checklist. Some of the most common elements in a comprehensive cyber insurance policy include:

• Data breach coverage 
• Privacy breach coverage
• Restoration costs
• Cybercrime 
• Business interruption coverage

These coverages are designed to help companies in the event of a hacker gaining access to their systems or a data or privacy breach. Breach response and restoration cost coverages assist companies by covering the costs of identifying the source of the breach and making public-facing announcements, as well as helping with legal fees and other third-party costs.

Business interruption insurance, whether related to your network or through cloud service providers, can also help you recover lost income if a breach or attack causes a shutdown or interruption in your company’s networks.

Standard cyber insurance packages will often cover the following:

• Identity theft: Individual or class-action allegations 
• Forensic analysis: Cost of forensic analysis, ransom payments and settlements 
• Breach of systems: On your company’s computers or systems, including customer notification and credit monitoring 
• Misrepresentation: Hack or breach on a client, partner, or vendor system when you’re the host of their data 

Some policies will also cover damages resulting from electronic funds transfer (scammers tricking employees into transferring funds to a malicious third party) and social engineering (fraudsters posing as friends to trick people into sensitive information).

Others even include protection against cybercrimes involving the theft of financial information or securities. These can be valuable coverages in a policy if a breach exposes your company to financial liabilities.

Cyber insurance policies typically offer two main types of coverage:

• First-party coverage: This covers the direct financial losses your business incurs from a cyber incident, including costs for data recovery, business interruption, and incident response.
• Third-party coverage: This helps if a cyberattack affects your customers, covering legal fees, settlements, and damages. For instance, third-party coverage would cover lawsuits or regulatory fines if a breach exposes customer data.

Choosing the right cyber insurance policy means examining the policy limits — how much it will pay out—and any exclusions. Large enterprises often won’t do business with you unless your third-party coverage policy’s limit is high enough.

To determine how much coverage is right for your organization, conduct an internal evaluation of how much customer information your company stores and what types of information are being stored. For instance, first names and email addresses are much less sensitive than social security numbers and bank accounts. Further, assessing the worst-case scenarios around downtime and the recovery period is a prudent step when considering business interruption coverage.

Common exclusions may include pre-existing vulnerabilities or incidents stemming from negligence, like failing to install security updates. Be sure to check the list of exclusions before purchasing a policy.

Cybersecurity is an ongoing process

Cybersecurity is a continuous journey, not a one-and-done activity. As your business evolves, so do the threats it faces. This cybersecurity checklist gives you practical steps to strengthen your defenses, but reviewing and adapting your approach regularly is equally important. By actively prioritizing security, you’re not just mitigating risks, you’re choosing to safeguard your customers’ trust and the integrity of your operations. 

Investing in cybersecurity today ensures your company’s ability to adapt and grow tomorrow.