The Founder's Cybersecurity Audit Checklist: 15 Non-Technical Questions That Reveal If You’re One Phish Away From Disaster

You don’t need to read code to know if your startup’s security is a house of cards. Most breaches aren’t zero-day exploits; they’re open doors. Ask your team these 15 questions. If you get uncomfortable pauses, you’re vulnerable.

Access & Authentication

• Can a single compromised intern laptop grant access to our main codebase or financials?
• Do we actually enforce MFA on all critical accounts, or just company email?
• When an employee quits on Friday, are their access rights revoked by Friday at 5:05 PM?
• Are we using a password manager, or is the intern still using "StartupName2024!" for the AWS console?
• Does every team member only have access to the exact data they need to do their job today?

Data & Devices

• Can a lost coffee-shop laptop expose our entire customer database?
• Are customer passwords stored in plain text, or worse, a shared Google Sheet?
• Do we have a secure, encrypted backup that survives a ransomware attack?
• How long would it take us to detect a bad actor silently downloading our CRM?
• Are employees regularly handling sensitive data on personal, unmanaged phones?

Culture & Response

• If the CEO emails an urgent wire transfer request, does the CFO verify it via a phone call?
• Has anyone on the team actually clicked a fake phishing test in the last 90 days?
• When someone spots a suspicious email, do they know exactly who to report it to immediately?
• Do we have a documented, step-by-step response plan for when—not if—a breach occurs?
• Is our cybersecurity budget less than what we spend on office snacks?

The Reality Check

If you failed even a few, you’re a ransomware payday waiting to happen. The good news? Fixing the basics is straightforward.

Lock it down now:

• 1Password (or Bitwarden ): Kill shared passwords today.
• Push Security: Automate SaaS access control and shadow IT detection.
• Hive Systems: Get real-time visibility into your attack surface.

Don't Guess. Audit. Blind spots are expensive. Get a professional assessment that translates technical risk into business reality. Stonevell’s cybersecurity audit maps your exact vulnerabilities and gives you a prioritized, plain-English remediation plan so you can build safely. Don't wait for the disaster email. Get your Stonevell audit today.