Cybersecurity audit services in Dubai, UAE
Our cybersecurity audit services assess your controls against the frameworks you report on, rank each gap by the exposure it creates, and provide the evidence pack an assessor asks for.
An audit assesses the control and the evidence that it works
An assessment can fail on documentation as well as on security. A firewall can be configured correctly, access reviews can take place and backups can run, but if none of it is recorded in a form that can be produced on request, the control cannot be credited.
An assessor requires evidence for each control. A quarterly access review that took place but was not signed off cannot be credited as a completed review.
The audit therefore assesses two things together: whether the control is in place, and whether the organisation can produce evidence that it operates. Both are recorded in the findings register.
Common cybersecurity audit findings
These four types of finding are common in a first audit, and none of them requires a security incident to have occurred.
What we audit against
The controls in these frameworks overlap, so the assessment is performed once and the findings are mapped to each framework you are subject to.
UAE Information Assurance Standards
The federal baseline, covering identity, monitoring, data classification, incident response and continuity. Controls are graded by priority, and the priority one controls are assessed first because an assessor examines those first.
DESC ISR
Dubai government and semi-government bodies are examined against the Information Security Regulation. The assessment gives particular attention to access control, logging and the retention requirements behind both.
ADHICS and ISO 27001
Abu Dhabi healthcare entities carry ADHICS obligations on patient information and incident notification. ISO 27001 sets the management system and its Annex A controls, and the two overlap substantially.
PCI DSS and UAE PDPL
Cardholder environments carry prescriptive technical requirements with defined testing intervals. The PDPL governs personal data, lawful basis and data subject rights, and applies alongside sector regulation.
What a cybersecurity audit assesses
Scope follows the frameworks you report on and the environment you operate, and is agreed in writing before the assessment begins.
Network and perimeter review
Firewall rule bases, segmentation, remote access and rules that remain in place after the project that created them has ended.
Cloud configuration review
Identity policy, storage exposure, logging coverage and encryption across AWS, Azure and Google Cloud accounts.
Endpoint assessment
Agent coverage, policy strength and whether protective settings are enforcing or running in audit mode.
Application security review
Authentication, authorisation and data handling in the applications that process your regulated data.
Policy and procedure review
Whether documented policy matches current practice, and whether each policy has been reviewed since the environment last changed.
Access control and certification
Who holds privileged access, whether it is reviewed, and whether the review is evidenced.
Third-party assurance
Vendors and processors holding your data, their contractual commitments and whether those commitments are verified.
Risk register review
Whether risks are recorded, owned, rated consistently and reviewed at a defined interval.
Logging and monitoring coverage
Which systems log, where the logs are sent, how long they are retained and whether they are reviewed.
Incident response readiness
Whether the plan exists, names current staff, and has been exercised against a realistic scenario.
Backup and continuity
Whether backups are immutable and isolated from the production domain, and whether a full restore has been performed and timed.
Awareness programme
Whether training is continuous and measured, with the completion evidence the framework asks for.
How a cybersecurity audit runs
The frameworks that apply and the boundary of the assessment are established and agreed in writing.
- Sector regulator, free zone rules and certification obligations identified together
- Overlapping controls mapped once, so one assessment serves several frameworks
- Assessment boundary documented before work begins
Policy, procedure and evidence are examined before interviews begin, so the interviews can compare practice with the documentation.
- Policy dates checked against when the environment last changed
- Evidence sampled and verified
- Gaps in the document set listed early, because they take longest to close
Configuration is examined across network, cloud, endpoint and identity against the control being tested.
- Settings read from the running systems
- Logging coverage checked per system and per region
- Urgent findings reported immediately
The people who operate the controls are interviewed, so that documented policy can be compared with day-to-day practice.
- Operators interviewed as well as managers
- Questions framed around a recent real event where one exists
- Interview findings corroborated against evidence before they are recorded
Each item is mapped to the control it breaches and rated on exposure.
- Priority one framework controls listed first, because an assessor examines those first
- Each finding tied to the specific change that closes it
- Effort estimated per item so the plan can be resourced
You receive the register, the evidence pack and a remediation plan, and all three are presented to your team.
- An executive summary written for a board, alongside the technical register
- Owners and dates agreed with the people who will do the work
- Retesting offered once remediation is complete, so closure is evidenced
Why choose iConnect for a cybersecurity audit
One assessment for several frameworks
The controls in IAS, ISO 27001, PDPL and the other frameworks overlap. One assessment is mapped to each of them, which produces a single findings register.
Evidence is assessed with the control
Each control is assessed on whether it is in place and on whether the organisation can produce evidence that it operates, which is what an assessor tests.
Operators are interviewed
Managers describe the policy and the people running the control describe the practice. Both are interviewed, and the findings are corroborated against evidence.
Ranked by exposure
The register is ordered by which controls a framework examines first and by what an attacker could reach.
Remediation available
iConnect can deliver the remediation as well as the report, or hand a costed plan to your own team.
Local knowledge
The report is written in the form UAE assessors expect, with each finding mapped to the control reference in the applicable framework.
Sectors we audit
The framework that applies, and the body that examines you against it, differs by sector.
Government
DESC ISR and the federal IA Standards.
Banking and Finance
Central Bank requirements, PCI DSS and free zone regulation together.
Healthcare
ADHICS controls on patient information and notification duties.
Manufacturing
IT and OT controls, and critical infrastructure obligations where they apply.
Retail and E-commerce
PCI DSS scope and the PDPL across customer data.
Education
Student data protection across large, distributed environments.
What our clients say
“Whenever an issue arises, iConnect is there immediately: quick, efficient and proactive in keeping everything running without disruptions. iConnect has become a crucial part of our operations.”
Head of IT Infrastructure and Network SecurityDragon OilCybersecurity audit questions
An audit assesses whether your controls exist, work and are documented, measured against a framework. A penetration test attempts an attack and reports what succeeded. The audit gives breadth and the evidence a regulator asks for; the test gives proof on specific attack paths. An organisation preparing for certification normally needs the audit first, because it identifies what to fix before testing begins.
The UAE Information Assurance Standards, DESC ISR for Dubai government and semi-government bodies, ADHICS for Abu Dhabi healthcare, ISO 27001, PCI DSS and the UAE PDPL. An organisation can be subject to more than one, and the controls overlap, so the assessment is performed once and the findings are mapped to each framework.
A single-framework audit of a mid-sized organisation is scoped at two to four weeks, covering document review, technical assessment and interviews. Additional frameworks add mapping time. A larger or more distributed environment extends the schedule, because each additional business unit adds people to interview and systems to examine.
Documented policy and whether it matches practice. Technical configuration across network, endpoint, cloud and identity, access controls and review records, and logging coverage and retention. Incident response arrangements and whether they have been exercised, and the third-party arrangements behind your data. The evidence trail behind each control is examined as well, as an assessor requires a record for each control.
Yes, and the report is written for that purpose. Each finding carries the control it breaches, the exposure it creates, the specific change required and an estimate of effort. iConnect can deliver the remediation or hand the plan to your team. In either case the findings are walked through with the people who will do the work.
Yes. The audit is run as a rehearsal against the same control set the certifying body will use, so gaps are identified while there is time to close them. Evidence gaps are listed early because they take longest to close. A retest can be performed once remediation is complete, so closure is documented before the formal assessment.
Annually as a baseline, which matches the annual assessment cycle of PCI DSS and the annual surveillance audit under ISO 27001 certification. Significant change is a further trigger: a migration, an acquisition, a new regulated service, or a material change to the environment. Certification cycles set their own dates, and an internal assessment is run ahead of each one.
An executive summary written for a board, and a findings register with each item mapped to the control it breaches and rated on exposure. A remediation plan with owners and dates, and the evidence pack itself. The findings are presented to your team in a review session, so each item has an owner before the engagement closes.
Talk to our team about your requirement
We’re happy to answer any questions you may have and help you determine which of our services best fit your needs.
Our Value Proposition
- Tailored Solutions for Your Organization
- Unbiased Expertise
- Proven IT Competence
- Outcome-Driven Approach
- Proactive Problem-Solving
- Transparent Processes
What happens next?
We’ll arrange a call at your convenience.
We do a discovery and consulting meeting
We’ll prepare a detailed proposal tailored to your requirements.