One of the most common questions our team fields is what kind of evidence is requested for SOC 2 audits?
The type of evidence requested for SOC 2 audits can be grouped into eight main groups based on our experience: New Hires, Terminated Employees, Risk Management, Logical Security, Incident Response, Change Management, Governance and Vendor Management. While the requested evidence changes based on the engagement, common examples for each category are listed below.
New Hires
Background checks
Employee handbook acknowledgement
System access requests/approvals
Terminated Employees
Access removal requests
User lists showing account removed/disabled
Risk Management
Completed risk assessment
Vulnerability scans and third party penetration testing reports
How anomalous activity indicative of security incidents is detected and addressed
Incident response plan tabletop exercise
Change Management
Code reviews and testing documentation
How segregation of duties is maintained
Emergency change process
Governance
Information security governance structure
Annual policy review
Confirm those charged with infosec governance are formally communicated Information about infosec
Annual security awareness training
Vendor Management
Vendor inventory
Vendor risk classification
Confirm key vendors are monitored at least annually (i.e. formal review of vendors' SOC 2 reports).
Schneider Downs employs a unique approach to SOC reports, integrating the expertise of information technology, internal audit and external audit professionals. By combining cross-disciplinary knowledge and project management expertise, we are able to effectively deliver on our clients' expectations. If you are interested in learning how we can assist your organization, please contact us to get started or learn more about our practice at 6s3.108g.net/soc.
About SOC 2 Reports
With SOC 2 reports, organizations decide which categories to include in the scope of the examination. This flexibility means reports are unique to each company, while providing a consistent framework to evaluate whether organizations meet the criteria for the categories included in the examination. These examinations are designed for a broad range of users that need information and assurance about the controls at a service organization relevant to security, availability and processing integrity of the systems the service organization uses to process users’ data, and the confidentiality and privacy of the information processed by these systems. The use of this report is restricted. These reports can play an important role in oversight of the organization, vendor management programs, and internal corporate governance and risk management processes.
You’ve heard our thoughts… We’d like to hear yours
The Schneider Downs Our Thoughts On blog exists to create a dialogue on issues that are important to organizations and individuals. While we enjoy sharing our ideas and insights, we’re especially interested in what you may have to say. If you have a question or a comment about this article – or any article from the Our Thoughts On blog – we hope you’ll share it with us. After all, a dialogue is an exchange of ideas, and we’d like to hear from you. Email us at [email protected].
Material discussed is meant for informational purposes only, and it is not to be construed as investment, tax, or legal advice. Please note that individual situations can vary. Therefore, this information should be relied upon when coordinated with individual professional advice.
This site uses cookies to ensure that we give you the best user experience. Cookies assist in navigation, analyzing traffic and in our marketing efforts as described in our Privacy Policy.