What is included in a cloud security audit?

The audit can examine cloud governance, identities, privileged access, network exposure, data protection, logging, workload configuration, change controls and recovery-related safeguards. The final coverage is defined in the approved scope.

Is a cloud security audit the same as a vulnerability assessment?

No. A vulnerability assessment focuses on identifying technical weaknesses in defined systems. A cloud security audit examines a broader control environment, including configurations, governance, evidence, responsibilities and operational processes. Technical testing may be included where authorised.

Can Digisecuritas audit AWS and Azure environments?

Yes. Digisecuritas can assess defined AWS and Microsoft Azure environments, subject to the agreed scope, available evidence and access permissions. Google Cloud and approved multi-cloud environments can also be considered.

Will the audit make changes to our cloud environment?

The audit is normally performed using read-only access and evidence collection. Digisecuritas does not make production changes unless implementation work is separately authorised, scoped and governed.

Does a cloud security audit provide compliance certification?

No. The audit may assess selected controls and support compliance readiness, but it does not automatically issue ISO certification, a SOC 2 report or regulatory approval.

How is cloud audit evidence collected?

Evidence may include configuration exports, authorised read-only inspection, activity logs, policies, diagrams, approval records, deployment records and interviews with responsible teams.

How are findings prioritised?

Findings are considered against the observed condition, affected assets, exposure, business impact, existing controls and agreed risk methodology. The report should explain the reasoning behind each priority.

Does the audit include cloud identity and access management?

It can. The review may assess privileged roles, user access, service identities, authentication controls, approval records and periodic access reviews within the agreed scope.

Can the audit assess infrastructure as code?

Yes. Where included, Digisecuritas can review relevant templates, repositories, deployment controls, approval routes and differences between defined code and deployed resources.

What access is needed for the audit?

Access depends on the platform and scope. It may include approved read-only roles, configuration exports, relevant logs, architecture documents, policies and access to responsible personnel. Access requirements are agreed before testing begins.

How long does a cloud security audit take?

The duration depends on the number of environments, services, control domains, evidence sources and stakeholders involved. Digisecuritas confirms the expected schedule after scope discovery rather than applying one duration to every audit.

What happens after the report is delivered?

The responsible teams review the findings, assign actions and decide how identified risks will be treated. Digisecuritas can clarify findings, support remediation planning and perform revalidation when separately agreed.

CLOUD SECURITY AUDIT SERVICES

Validate the Cloud Controls Your Business Relies On

Q: Can you audit only one workload?

Yes. A focused audit can cover the accounts, cloud services, identities, network paths, data controls and operating processes supporting one defined workload.

A cloud security audit tests whether approved controls are present, configured correctly and supported by reliable evidence. Digisecuritas reviews your cloud environment independently, identifies material gaps and gives responsible teams a practical route to remediation.

Request a Cloud Security Audit Speak With a Cloud Security Advisor

Independent assessment for AWS, Azure, GCP and approved multi-cloud environments.

Control areaEvidenceAudit status

Identity accessRoles and policies

Review

Network exposureRoutes and rules

Validate

Data protectionEncryption settings

Review

LoggingActivity records

Validate

GovernanceOwnership and approvals

Confirm

INDEPENDENT CLOUD ASSURANCE

What is a cloud security audit?

A cloud security audit is an independent examination of cloud configurations, access controls, operational processes and supporting evidence. It determines whether security controls are suitably designed, applied within the agreed scope and operating as expected at the time of the review.

The audit scope may cover one workload, a cloud account, a group of subscriptions or a wider multi-cloud estate. Digisecuritas agrees the audit criteria, access arrangements, evidence requirements and reporting boundaries before fieldwork begins.

"Cloud assurance depends on what can be demonstrated, not what is assumed."

What the audit establishes

What is in scope

Identify the cloud platforms, accounts, subscriptions, projects, workloads and supporting services included in the review.

Which criteria apply

Confirm the organisation's policies, contractual requirements, regulatory obligations and selected security frameworks.

What evidence exists

Review configurations, logs, access records, architecture documents, policies and interviews relevant to each control.

What requires action

Separate material security weaknesses from documentation gaps, operational concerns and improvement opportunities.

AUDIT CONTROL LEDGER

Every Finding Must Connect Control, Evidence and Risk

Digisecuritas records how each audit conclusion was reached. The control ledger connects the requirement being tested with the evidence reviewed, the observed condition, the resulting risk and the action owner.

Audit criterion

Evidence examined

Observed condition

Risk conclusion

Required action

Identity administration

Privileged access is approved and restricted.

Role assignments, access policies and approval records.

Record the configuration and supporting evidence found during the audit.

Determine the effect of excessive or unaccountable access.

Assign remediation to the appropriate identity or platform owner.

Evidence available

Public exposure

Internet-facing resources are intentionally approved and protected.

Network rules, public endpoints, routing and asset ownership.

Record exposed services and the business context supplied.

Assess whether exposure exceeds the intended requirement.

Restrict, protect or formally accept the identified exposure.

Further evidence required

Data protection

Sensitive data receives appropriate access and encryption controls.

Storage policies, encryption settings, key-management records and data classification.

Compare the technical configuration with the stated handling requirement.

Identify material gaps affecting confidentiality or control over key use.

Define the configuration, ownership or governance change required.

Control observation

Logging and monitoring

Relevant activity is recorded, retained and available for investigation.

Audit-log settings, retention controls, alert routes and monitoring responsibilities.

Determine whether required events are captured across the agreed scope.

Assess how missing records could affect detection, investigation or assurance.

Assign logging, retention or integration improvements.

Remediation required

Change governance

Material cloud changes follow an approved and traceable process.

Change records, infrastructure-as-code repositories, approvals and deployment logs.

Compare deployed changes with the organisation's stated control process.

Identify unapproved changes, configuration drift or weak separation of duties.

Strengthen approval, validation or deployment governance.

Management decision

AUDIT SCOPE

Define the Audit Around the Decision You Need to Make

The audit boundary should reflect the business question behind the review. Digisecuritas can assess a focused workload or a broader cloud estate without treating every engagement as the same exercise.

Focused workload audit

Review the cloud services, identities, network paths, data controls and operational processes supporting one defined application or business service.

Suitable when

Preparing an important workload for launch
Responding to a customer security requirement
Validating a material architecture change
Reviewing a sensitive data environment

Cloud account or subscription audit

Assess the governance and configuration of a defined AWS account, Azure subscription, GCP project or equivalent administrative boundary.

Suitable when

Ownership is clearly separated by account or subscription
A business unit requires independent validation
A platform team needs a configuration baseline
A new environment is entering production use

Multi-account or multi-subscription review

Examine common controls, policy consistency and material exceptions across a group of connected environments.

Suitable when

Cloud use has expanded across multiple teams
Security settings vary between environments
Central governance needs independent validation
Management requires consolidated risk visibility

Multi-cloud security audit

Review control consistency and ownership across approved cloud providers while respecting the technical differences between their services.

Suitable when

Critical services operate across more than one provider
Leadership needs a consolidated risk view
Identity and logging responsibilities are fragmented
Common policies are applied differently by platform teams

Scope note: The final scope, sample size and depth of testing depend on the audit objective, available evidence, access permissions, cloud architecture and agreed audit criteria.

CLOUD CONTROL DOMAINS

Cloud Controls Examined in Context

Governance and ownership

Review cloud policies, account structures, responsibility assignments, exceptions and management oversight.

Discuss this audit area →

Identity and privileged access

Assess role assignments, administrative permissions, authentication controls, service identities and access-review practices.

Discuss this audit area →

Network security

Review public endpoints, security rules, routing, segmentation, private connectivity and management access.

Discuss this audit area →

Data protection

Assess storage access, encryption configuration, key ownership, secret handling, backup protection and relevant data-location controls.

Discuss this audit area →

Logging and monitoring

Review activity logging, security-event coverage, retention, alert routing and responsibilities for investigating material events.

Discuss this audit area →

Workload configuration

Examine the security settings of defined compute, container, serverless, database and storage services within scope.

Discuss this audit area →

Vulnerability and patch governance

Review how relevant vulnerabilities, unsupported components, operating-system updates and remediation actions are identified and managed.

Discuss this audit area →

Change and deployment controls

Assess approval routes, infrastructure-as-code practices, deployment permissions, configuration drift and emergency changes.

Discuss this audit area →

Resilience and recovery

Review security-relevant backup access, recovery responsibilities, account dependencies and protection of recovery resources.

Discuss this audit area →

Testing depth depends on the services in use and the agreed audit scope. Not every possible cloud service is examined in every engagement.

AUDIT CRITERIA

Audit Criteria Agreed Before Testing Begins

An audit needs defined criteria. Digisecuritas works with the client to select the policies, obligations and recognised guidance that apply to the environment and the purpose of the review.

Criteria sourceHow it may be used

Internal cloud-security policiesCompare approved requirements with actual configurations and practices

Contractual security requirementsValidate controls required for customer or partner commitments

NIST guidanceStructure selected control and assessment activities

CIS BenchmarksReview applicable configuration recommendations for supported technologies

ISO 27001 control requirementsSupport assessment of relevant information-security controls

SOC 2 criteriaReview cloud controls relevant to the organisation's defined trust-services scope

AWS guidanceExamine relevant AWS security practices where AWS is in scope

Microsoft cloud guidanceExamine relevant Azure security practices where Azure is in scope

Google Cloud guidanceExamine relevant GCP security practices where GCP is in scope

Regulatory obligationsMap technical and governance evidence to applicable requirements

Alignment is not certification

A cloud security audit can assess controls against selected requirements and support readiness work. It does not automatically issue ISO certification, a SOC 2 report or regulatory approval.

Certification and formal attestation require the appropriate accredited or licensed body.
Framework mapping does not mean every framework control applies to every environment.
Cloud-provider recommendations must be interpreted within the organisation's architecture and risk.
The audit report states the criteria, scope, limitations and evidence used.

Authoritative guidance

NIST SP 800-53A Revision 5 ↗NIST SP 800-53 Revision 5 ↗CISA Cloud Security Technical Reference Architecture ↗AWS Well-Architected Security Pillar ↗

AUDIT PROCESS

A Defined Audit From Scope to Remediation

Establish scope

Confirm the audit objective, cloud boundaries, systems, business services, responsible teams, audit criteria and known limitations.

Output

Approved scope and evidence request.

Collect evidence

Obtain authorised read-only access where appropriate and review configurations, exports, policies, logs, diagrams, tickets and interviews.

Output

Evidence register with identified gaps.

Test controls

Compare the collected evidence with the agreed criteria. Validate material conditions through configuration review, sampling and authorised technical checks.

Output

Documented control observations.

Determine risk

Assess the likelihood, exposure, business effect and control context of each material observation.

Output

Prioritised findings with clear reasoning.

Report and support closure

Present technical findings, executive implications, remediation priorities and responsible owners. Revalidation can be scoped after corrective action.

Output

Final audit report and remediation roadmap.

Digisecuritas performs testing within the approved boundaries. The client retains responsibility for cloud ownership, production changes, risk acceptance and decisions outside the agreed engagement.

FINDINGS AND DELIVERABLES

Findings Written for Remediation, Not Decoration

An evidence-based finding

ObservationState the configuration, process or evidence condition identified during testing.

Affected scopeName the accounts, subscriptions, projects, resources or operational processes covered by the finding.

EvidenceReference the configuration records, documentation or approved technical observations that support the conclusion.

RiskExplain how the condition could affect the organisation, data, service or control objective.

RecommendationDescribe a practical corrective direction without forcing a specific product where alternatives exist.

OwnershipIdentify the team or role responsible for considering and completing the action.

PriorityAssign priority using the agreed risk method and the organisation's business context.

Management responseProvide space for the responsible owner to accept, plan, transfer or formally accept the risk.

Typical deliverables

Confirmed scope statement

Cloud asset and account observations

Evidence register

Executive audit summary

Detailed technical findings

Risk-prioritised action register

Identity and access observations

Network-exposure findings

Data-protection observations

Logging and monitoring gaps

Governance and ownership findings

Framework-mapping record where agreed

Remediation roadmap

Closing presentation

Revalidation results where separately scoped

Executive note

Leadership receives a concise account of material exposure, control ownership, unresolved decisions and the actions that require management attention.

WHY DIGISECURITAS

Independent Cloud Assurance Without Platform Bias

Digisecuritas reviews the control environment without selling a cloud platform or treating a native security score as the final audit conclusion. Findings are connected to evidence, business context and accountable remediation.

Cybersecurity-only focus

Independent assessment model

Technology-agnostic approach

Framework-aligned audit methods

Executive and technical reporting

Clear scope and evidence boundaries

Multi-region delivery capability

Experience across cloud, identity, infrastructure and governance

Support for regulated and transaction-driven requirements

Related services

Cloud Security Management

Establish ongoing ownership, configuration oversight and improvement after the audit.

Explore Cloud Security Management →

AWS and Azure Security

Strengthen platform-specific governance and security controls across approved AWS and Azure environments.

Explore AWS and Azure Security →

Server Hardening

Review and strengthen operating-system and server configurations supporting cloud workloads.

Explore Server Hardening →

Managed SOC

Integrate relevant cloud events into an agreed security-monitoring and escalation model.

Explore Managed SOC →

Compliance readiness

Prepare policies, evidence and control ownership for an applicable compliance or assurance objective.

Explore Compliance Readiness →

FAQS

Cloud Security Audit FAQs

Reviewed by: Digisecuritas cloud security practice

Last reviewed: July 2025

REPLACE ASSUMPTION WITH AUDIT EVIDENCE

Know Which Cloud Controls Work and Which Need Attention

Get an independent view of your cloud configurations, control evidence and material risks. Digisecuritas will define the audit boundary, test the agreed controls and provide a practical remediation roadmap.

Request a Cloud Security Audit Speak With a Cloud Security Advisor

Start with a focused discussion about your cloud platforms, business priorities and assurance requirements.