Strategic Approaches to Cybersecurity Audits for Control Evaluation

This article presents an empirical study evaluating the effectiveness of the CyberSecurity Audit Model (CSAM 2.0) at a Canadian higher education institution. CSAM 2.0 is a comprehensive model used to assess cybersecurity assurance, maturity, and readiness in medium to large organizations and at the national level. It allows for the effective evaluation of security controls across various cybersecurity domains. The study highlights global best practices in cybersecurity audits, highlighting the lack of standardized guidelines and weaknesses in cybersecurity training programs. The paper details CSAM 2.0’s structure and architecture, sharing results from three research scenarios: (1) a single audit focusing on awareness education, (2) audits in multiple domains such as governance, legal compliance, and incident management, and (3) a full audit covering all model domains. The study concludes that CSAM 2.0 offers valuable insights for improving cybersecurity practices and addressing vulnerabilities.