The Linford & Company Blog is written by our very own auditors, who are experts in IT audits, information security, and compliance topics. Their auditing experience encompasses a broad spectrum of industries and organizations, and their specialized expertise can help your company or organization make the right decision for your auditing needs. Our specific areas of focus in our IT Audit & Compliance Blog include SOC 1 Audits, SOC 2 Audits, HIPAA Audits, HITRUST Certification, and FedRAMP Assessments, NIST & CMMC, and Penetration Testing.
How do companies keep track of who’s supposed to see what information? What if a disgruntled ex-employee still had access to sensitive files? Or a hacker could easily impersonate the CEO? Identity and Access Management (IAM) is the answer, ensuring the right people (and only the right people) get access to the right systems and […]
Large Language Models (LLMs) and Generative AI are cutting-edge technologies in the field of artificial intelligence that are rapidly evolving in the business landscape. LLMs are a subset of Generative AI, focusing specifically on language-related tasks. While related, LLMs refer to AI systems capable of understanding and generating human-like text based on large datasets. Generative […]
I’m sure you have heard the saying “trust, but verify” which has been a common theme in the audit world. The new saying for cybersecurity goes “never trust, always verify,” and that is the core of zero trust security. One of our clients was in the process of setting up a new environment for their […]
The Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO) Internal Control-Integrated Framework and the AICPA Trust Services Criteria are two control frameworks that are used to assess and improve the effectiveness of internal controls. While the COSO Principles are more general in nature, the AICPA Trust Services Criteria are more specific to outsourced service […]
During SOC readiness assessments, we are often asked about the key controls surrounding the security of assets in the cloud. Cloud patch management is a critical part of maintaining security, and the controls around this process will be reviewed in any cloud computing audit, like a SOC report. This article will provide guidance on creating […]
In order to properly assess the relevance of HIPAA compliance to your organization, it is important to understand what a Covered Entity (CE) and a Business Associate (BA) are. In this blog we’ll talk about what these items are, the differences between them, and how they are handled differently when assessing HIPAA compliance. Differences Between […]
The auditors are coming! Let’s face it, many organizations dread audit time–but it doesn’t have to be that way. Whether you’re facing your very first audit or preparing for the next recurring one, being audit-ready will save you time and effort, alleviate stress, and facilitate a smooth and successful audit process. As humans, we naturally […]
In the rapidly evolving landscape of technology services, companies are entrusted with handling sensitive client data. To ensure the security, availability, and integrity of this data, many executives consider undergoing a System and Organization Controls (SOC) audit. However, misconceptions surrounding SOC audits often cloud the decision-making process. So, what exactly is a SOC audit? In […]
In 2011, the Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program (FedRAMP) was introduced, establishing a standardized assessment methodology for federal agencies to manage risk within commercial cloud service provider environments. Acknowledging the “do once, use many” benefits of FedRAMP within the federal sector, the State Risk and Authorization Management Program (StateRAMP) was launched in 2021. StateRAMP […]
As security breaches (such as these HIPAA security breaches) become more common and costly, it is important to understand ways to prevent breaches. Recently, we came across a scenario where a company was not using a vulnerability scanner to scan their development environment for secret credentials, thus making the secret credentials not so secret. The […]
