Business Category: Safety / Industrial Category: Information Technology

Cybersecurity Assessment Checklist

Published: Updated:

This cybersecurity checklist assists organizations in evaluating and documenting the status of their cybersecurity controls. Designed for IT professionals, it aims to enhance workplace security and mitigate threats that could disrupt operations.

Use this template with flowdit

  • Customize this template or build your own
  • Complete inspections using the mobile app
  • Get reports and analyze your data

Start inspecting smarter — free for one user.

Use template Preview or Download template as PDF
Cybersecurity Assessment Checklist
Based on

How to Use This Checklist

  • Gather the facts. Walk the premises and the systems. Confirm whether ID badges carry a recent photograph and indicate access levels, whether visitors are escorted, whether screens auto-lock after 10 minutes of inactivity, and whether modems are set to Auto-Answer OFF.
  • Review the documented controls. Check whether you have policies and procedures for authorized and unauthorized physical access, for background checks, for promptly revoking access when an employee or contractor terminates, for laptop security, for device repair, and for electronic authentication, authorization, and access control.
  • Examine data protection. Confirm how you classify data as sensitive or non-sensitive, whether the most valuable or sensitive data is encrypted, and whether retention, payment card handling, personally identifiable information handling, backup and archival, and disposal procedures are in place, including locked shredder bins and methods to render hardware and electronic media inoperable.
  • Check preparedness and communication. Verify that a business continuity plan exists and is up to date, that emergency plans include facilities to be secured and are tested periodically, and that a communication plan names who is contacted, who makes contact, and who speaks to the press or public.
  • Confirm awareness and governance. Ensure employees are educated and trained regularly, are taught to watch for potential security breaches and to store passwords securely, and can identify and protect sensitive data. Confirm that security documents are reviewed and updated and that management regularly reviews access lists.
  • Record and act. Record the date, the person who prepared the assessment, and the location. Give each item a Yes, No, or n/a answer, and use the results to prioritise the gaps that expose you to the greatest risk.

Start inspecting smarter — free for one user.

Start Free Book A Personal Demo

What it is

A cybersecurity assessment is a structured review of the controls that protect your organisation's people, premises, systems, and data. You work through each control, confirm whether it exists and operates as intended, and record the result so that gaps and priorities are visible. The checklist you use here contains 63 items. It opens with an assessment section that records the date it was conducted, who prepared it, and the location, and then moves through employee security, physical security, account and password management, data confidentiality, disaster recovery, security awareness, and compliance. Each item takes a Yes, No, or n/a answer.

Why it matters

Threats that exploit weak controls can disrupt operations, expose sensitive data, and interrupt the services your organisation depends on. An assessment gives you an evidence-based picture of where you stand, so that effort and budget go to the controls that need attention rather than to assumptions. It also supports continuity and accountability. Findings such as an out-of-date business continuity plan, an untested emergency plan, or unclear emergency contacts are the kind of issues that are cheap to fix in advance and costly to discover during an incident.

What a good assessment covers

The checklist is organised so that each area answers a distinct question about your posture: - **Employee security** - identification badges with photographs and access levels, reference checks, background check policies, and prompt revocation of access on termination. - **Physical security** - defined controls on access to secure areas and computer rooms, escorted visitors, secured equipment, prevention of computers being left logged in, and 10-minute screen auto-lock. - **Account and password management** - strong password requirements, avoidance of temporary or default passwords, protection from onlookers during password entry, and limitation of access to authorised personnel. - **Data confidentiality** - classification of sensitive and non-sensitive data, encryption of the most valuable or sensitive data, retention and disposal procedures, payment card handling, and management of personally identifiable information. - **Disaster recovery** - business continuity planning, retrievable backup and archival copies, emergency communication, and notification of authorities. - **Security awareness** - regular training, recognition of potential breaches, secure password storage, and the ability to identify and protect sensitive data. - **Compliance** - review and update of security documents, audits against established policies and standards, and periodic testing of emergency plans.

Where standards apply

Two references appear in the source material. The checklist asks whether your information and training plan conveys proper methods for managing credit card data under **PCI standards**, and it questions whether internal procedures cover personal information such as tax IDs, names, addresses, and phone numbers. Where such regimes apply to you, confirm your practices against the standard itself rather than relying on the checklist wording alone. The checklist does not cite other specific regulations, so treat its questions as prompts to confirm what governs your own organisation, sector, and jurisdiction.

How to approach the answers

Answer each item honestly and specifically. A control that exists on paper but is not followed in practice is not a control. Where an item does not apply to your environment, use n/a rather than forcing a Yes or No, and note the reason. Where you answer No, record what is missing and what it would take to close the gap. Items such as a procedure for promptly revoking access when someone leaves, an up-to-date business continuity plan, and a tested emergency plan are worth prioritising because their absence has immediate consequences.

Using the results

The completed assessment is a working document. Use it to build a remediation list, assign owners, and set target dates, then revisit it after changes such as new systems, new premises, or new staff. Keep the assessment current. The checklist itself asks whether you regularly review and update your security documents and whether you audit your processes and procedures for compliance with established policies and standards. Treating those two items as ongoing habits keeps the assessment useful rather than a one-off exercise.

Frequently Asked Questions

The assessment covers eight areas: employee security, physical security, account and password management, data confidentiality, disaster recovery, security awareness, and compliance, along with an assessment section that records when it was conducted, who prepared it, and where. Questions run across employee identification and background checks, physical access controls, password and authentication practices, data classification and encryption, backup and business continuity, emergency communication, staff training, and ongoing review of security documents.

The checklist asks whether you define policies and procedures governing authorized and unauthorized physical access, whether access methods such as locks, access control systems, security officers, or surveillance are defined, whether visitor access is controlled and visitors are escorted, and whether computer areas and equipment are physically secured. It also covers procedures to prevent computers from being left logged in, screen auto-lock after 10 minutes of inactivity, laptop security, and protection of data during device repair.

Physical security items address employee identification badges, including whether they carry a recent photograph and indicate access levels and authorization types for employees, contractors, and visitors. They cover reference checks and background check policies for employees and contractors, a procedure to promptly revoke access when someone terminates, policies governing authorized and unauthorized physical access, defined access control methods, controlled entry to computer areas, and escorted visitors.

It asks whether strong password requirements are enforced, whether passwords avoid being easily guessed and are regularly changed without relying on temporary or default passwords, whether computers are configured to prevent others from viewing password entry, and whether employees are instructed to store passwords securely. Related items ask whether access to computers is limited to authorized personnel and whether policies and standards exist for electronic authentication, authorization, and access control.

The checklist addresses data classification, distinguishing sensitive from non-sensitive data, responsibility for protecting sensitive data, and encryption of the most valuable or sensitive data. It covers an information retention policy in paper and electronic form, procedures for handling payment card information and personally identifiable information, retrievable backup and archival copies of critical information, and disposal of waste materials, including locked shredder bins, and rendering hardware and electronic media inoperable and inaccessible.

It asks whether you have an up-to-date business continuity plan, a procedure for retrievable backup and archival copies of important information, a communication plan for management during emergencies or incidents, and a procedure for notifying authorities that specifies who is contacted, their contact details sorted by incident type, and who makes the contact. It also asks whether a spokesperson for the press or public is designated, whether internal communication with employees and their families is included, and whether emergency measures can be effectively implemented by responsible personnel.

The checklist asks whether employees are educated about computer security, whether regular training sessions are offered, whether employees are taught to watch for potential security breaches, and whether they are instructed to store passwords securely. It also asks whether employees can identify and protect sensitive data across paper documents, removable media, and electronic documents, and whether the information and training plan conveys proper methods for managing credit card data under PCI standards and personal information such as tax IDs, names, addresses, and phone numbers.

It asks whether you regularly review and update security documents such as policies, standards, procedures, and guidelines, whether you audit processes and procedures for compliance with established policies and standards, whether you periodically test emergency plans, and whether management conducts regular reviews of access lists for personnel with physical access to sensitive areas or electronic access to information systems.

The checklist is designed for IT professionals evaluating and documenting the status of an organization's cybersecurity controls. It helps you record findings across physical security, access management, data protection, disaster recovery, awareness, and compliance, and its answer scale of Yes, No, or n/a lets you note where a control is in place, missing, or not applicable to your environment.
Arne Reis
Written by
Arne Reis
Founder

Process optimizer with 25 years of expertise, focused on operational excellence in quality, maintenance, EHS, and commissioning. Emphasizes innovative solutions and top-quality standards.

View LinkedIn profile

Still managing operations with paper and Excel?

Digitize inspections, audits, SOPs, and corrective actions.

Book A Personal Demo
flowdit mobile inspection app

Resources Under The Same Category

Fall Prevention Program Checklist
Safety

Fall Prevention Program Checklist

This checklist serves as a comprehensive guide for developing an effective fall ...

View template →
Ladder Inspection Form
Safety

Ladder Inspection Form

Professional ladder safety inspection and compliance assessment conducted in acc...

View template →
Field Safety Walk
Safety

Field Safety Walk

A structured safety walk-through designed to identify, evaluate, and document co...

View template →
OSHA Hand and Power Tools Inspection
Safety

OSHA Hand and Power Tools Inspection

This comprehensive checklist is designed to promote workplace safety by thorough...

View template →
Plocher Heavy Equipment Daily Inspection
Safety

Plocher Heavy Equipment Daily Inspection

This daily heavy equipment inspection form is designed to confirm machine operat...

View template →
Inframax Field Safety Inspection Checklist
Safety

Inframax Field Safety Inspection Checklist

This comprehensive field safety inspection checklist is designed to elevate safe...

View template →

Ready to simplify inspections and get your team moving faster?

Start free today and turn inspections into a clear, consistent digital workflow. Prefer a guided walkthrough? Book a demo and see how flowdit can fit your team.

Start Free Book A Personal Demo