IT Security Audit Checklist for UAE Businesses

An IT security audit checks whether your security controls exist, work and can be proven, measured against a named framework rather than an auditor's opinion. A practical checklist covers scope, assets, accounts and admin rights, patching, secure configuration, malware and email protection, logging, backups, suppliers and incident response, with evidence for each. Run a full audit at least once a year and check the fast-moving areas more often. If you want help running one, see our IT audit services in Dubai.

Which framework should the audit use?

Pick one before work starts, so every finding points to a written requirement. Three are useful for UAE businesses:

• CIS Critical Security Controls v8.1. 18 controls, from inventory of enterprise assets to penetration testing. CIS defines Implementation Group 1 (IG1), a foundational set of 56 safeguards, as essential cyber hygiene, and describes the typical IG1 organisation as small to medium-sized with limited IT and security expertise. That makes IG1 a sensible first audit scope, and our CIS Controls assessment page covers the full set.
• UK Cyber Essentials. Five technical controls: firewalls, secure configuration, security update management, user access control and malware protection. Its requirements are specific, so they also work as a checklist outside the UK.
• The UAE Information Assurance (IA) Standard. The UAE Cyber Security Council developed it for government and non-government entities responsible for critical information systems. The Council says it aligns with ISO/IEC 27001, NIST SP 800-53 and the CIS Controls. If it applies to you, it is your baseline, and our guide to NESA vs ISO 27001 explains how it compares.

Also decide what kind of work you need. A framework assessment, a technical penetration test and a formal certification are three separate pieces of work with different outputs, so name the one you are being asked for.

How do you set the scope of an IT security audit?

The scope decides whether the result means anything. Write it down before work starts:

• The companies, offices and users included.
• Every device type: laptops, desktops, phones, servers and network devices.
• Cloud services, including Microsoft 365, Azure and the business applications you subscribe to.
• Every provider that holds admin access to your systems or a copy of your data.
• The period the evidence has to cover, for example the last 12 months.

Two Cyber Essentials rules are worth borrowing even if you never apply for it: a scope that does not include end-user devices is not acceptable, and cloud services cannot be excluded. An audit that leaves out laptops and Microsoft 365 leaves out the systems your staff use every day.

What should an IT security audit checklist cover?

Work through these areas. The numbers show where each one sits in the CIS Controls.

• Asset inventory (CIS 1 and 2). Every device and every piece of software is listed with an owner. Compare the list with what your management and security tools actually see, and chase anything unknown.
• Accounts and admin rights (CIS 5 and 6). Leavers disabled, shared accounts removed, multi-factor authentication (MFA) on every account and admin rights kept to the few who need them. Include provider accounts: Cyber Essentials says user access control also covers third party accounts, such as those used by your support services.
• Patching and vulnerabilities (CIS 7). Cyber Essentials requires updates that fix critical or high-risk vulnerabilities to be applied within 14 days of release, and unsupported software to be removed or cut off from the internet. Check the dates, not only the percentages.
• Secure configuration (CIS 4). Default passwords changed, unused services off and a written baseline for each device type. For Microsoft 365, our list of Microsoft 365 security settings Dubai businesses leave open is a quick tenant check.
• Email, browser and malware protection (CIS 9 and 10). Protection installed, running and updated on every device, and mail filtering switched on.
• Logging and monitoring (CIS 8 and 13). Which logs are collected, how long they are kept and who reviews the alerts.
• Backups and recovery (CIS 11). At least one copy that ransomware cannot reach, and a recent restore test that worked.
• Network devices (CIS 12). Firewall rules reviewed, firmware current and management interfaces closed to the internet.
• Security awareness (CIS 14). Training records for every user, and the results of any phishing exercises.
• Service providers (CIS 15). A list of providers that hold sensitive data or run critical platforms, with the security terms in each contract.
• Incident response (CIS 17). A written plan with roles and contacts, and the date it was last exercised.
• Penetration testing (CIS 18). If testing is in scope, the last report and proof that its findings were fixed.

What evidence should you collect for each control?

Collect evidence that a control operated over the audit period, not only that it exists. A policy says what should happen. A report, log or signed review shows that it did.

• System reports, dated. Export user lists, admin role assignments, MFA registration, patch compliance and backup history from the systems themselves, and keep the export date.
• Samples that test the process. Take five leavers from HR records and check that each account was disabled on time. Take three recent changes and check that each was approved.
• Records of reviews. Who reviewed admin rights, firewall rules or the incident plan, when, and what they changed.
• Restore records. A finished backup job shows data was copied. A restore record, with the date, the data restored and the time taken, shows it can be used.
• Secure Score history for Microsoft 365. Microsoft describes Secure Score as a measurement of your security posture, with a higher number meaning more recommended actions taken. It also says the score is not an absolute measure of how likely a breach is, so treat it as one input among several.

File each item with a reference to the control it supports, so next year's audit starts from this year's evidence.

How often should a UAE business run an IT security audit?

Start with what applies to you. Check your regulator, licence, insurer and customer contracts for a required frequency before setting your own.

For entities that fall under the UAE IA Standard, internal audits (control M6.2.2) are always applicable. The standard's guidance recommends annual internal audits as a general guideline, with more frequent audits for critical entities. It ties the frequency to the size and complexity of the entity, the nature of its business, the level of risk to its information assets, how often the business or IT environment changes and the results of previous audits.

For other businesses, this rhythm works well:

• Every year: a full audit against your chosen framework.
• Every quarter: an admin rights review, a vulnerability scan and a restore test of one critical system.
• Every month: patch compliance, backup results and Secure Score.
• After a big change: a new office, a migration, a merger or a security incident.

What should you do with the findings?

• Rank by risk. Fix exposed admin accounts, missing MFA, unpatched internet-facing systems and untested backups before cosmetic gaps.
• Give every finding an owner, a fix and a date. A finding without an owner is still open at the next audit.
• Record what you accept. If you decide not to fix something, write down why and who accepted the risk. The UAE IA Standard expects entities to justify any exclusions through risk acceptance by authorised personnel.
• Report to management. For entities in its scope, the IA Standard requires internal audit results to be reported to relevant management. A one-page summary of open items and dates works for any business.
• Retest and close with evidence. A finding is closed when the fix has been checked, not when someone says it is done.

If you would rather have the audit run for you, see our cybersecurity audit and compliance services, or tell us what you need to prove and to whom.