You Failed Your Network Security Audit. Here Are the 7 Things Hackers Love Most About That.
Failing a network security audit feels like a punch to the gut. You know the report landing on your desk is more than just a poor grade; it’s a roadmap for cybercriminals. For business owners in Los Angeles, where the digital economy moves at the speed of the 405 freeway, that document is a glaring invitation for trouble.
At IT Training & Consulting, Inc. (ITTC), we’ve reviewed countless audit failures for businesses across Southern California. We see the same weaknesses pop up time and time again. The scary part? These aren’t just technical demerits; they are the exact things hackers look for when scanning for victims.
If you have recently failed a security audit—or want to avoid the hassle altogether—you need to understand what vulnerabilities make hackers salivate. Here are the seven things they love most about a failed audit, and exactly how to fix them.
1. “We’ll Get to It Later”: The Perpetual Patching Cycle
One of the most common findings in a failed audit is outdated software. Whether it’s a Windows server that hasn’t been updated in six months or a content management system running a version two years old, hackers see this as an open door.
According to the June 2025 healthcare data breach report, a staggering 85% of all breaches were classified as hacking/IT incidents, with network server compromises leading the pack . Many of these attacks exploit known vulnerabilities for which patches already exist. Companies simply didn’t apply them in time.
Hackers love this because it requires minimal effort. They don’t need to discover a “zero-day” exploit; they can just scan the internet for systems that haven’t installed last year’s security update.
The Fix: Patching needs to move from “when we have time” to a scheduled priority. This is the backbone of proactive Managed Network Services . By automating patch management and scheduling regular maintenance windows, you eliminate the low-hanging fruit that attackers rely on.
2. Password Policies from 2010
It is 2025, and yet, “Password123!” is still somehow holding the door to your corporate data. If your audit revealed weak password complexity requirements, no multi-factor authentication (MFA), or stale accounts that haven’t been disabled, you have effectively handed hackers the keys to the kingdom.
California is taking this seriously at the state level. New legislation, like AB-869 introduced in February 2025, is pushing state agencies to implement Zero Trust architecture, which “at a minimum, prioritizes multifactor authentication for access to all systems and data” .
If the State of California is mandating MFA to protect public data, your Los Angeles business should be doing the same to protect your trade secrets and customer PII. Hackers love environments where one stolen password gives them the run of the house.
The Fix: Implement MFA everywhere. Enforce modern password standards. This is a core component of robust Cybersecurity Solutions , ensuring that a compromised password isn’t a death sentence for your network.
3. The “Castle and Moat” Mentality (And No Internal Defenses)
Old-school security thought you just needed a strong firewall—a moat—around your castle. Once inside, everyone was trusted. Modern audits punish this mindset. If your audit failed because you lack internal network segmentation, hackers are thrilled.
Once they breach a single workstation (perhaps belonging to a well-meaning employee who clicked a bad link), they can move laterally across your entire business. They can go from an infected receptionist PC to the CEO’s laptop to the database server without hitting a single roadblock.
The Fix: You need to assume a breach will happen and build your network to contain it. This requires proper Network Infrastructure design that segments departments and limits lateral movement. A Zero Trust approach, as mentioned in the new California bills, means “never trust, always verify” .
4. Shadow IT and the “Good Enough” Setup
How many times has a department head bought a Wi-Fi router from a big-box store, plugged it in, and set it up themselves? If your audit discovered rogue access points or consumer-grade hardware running your business, you are in the danger zone.
“One of the biggest red flags we see isn’t always the hardware that fails, but the hardware that was never supposed to be there in the first place,” says Abner Navarro, Network Support Specialist at ITTC. “A consumer router doesn’t have the logging or security features to handle business data, and they create blind spots in our visibility.”
Hackers love these blind spots. They provide a quiet entry point that your formal IT team might not even know exists. If your cabling is a mess and your hardware is mismatched, it’s a sign that security is an afterthought.
The Fix: Standardize your environment. Ensure that every piece of hardware, from the server room to the break room, is configured by professionals. ITTC’s Cabling Solution and hardware support ensures your physical layer is secure and organized, eliminating those hidden gaps.
5. The BYOD Free-for-All
Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) policies are great for morale, but if your audit showed you have no control over the personal phones and laptops accessing your corporate data, you are in trouble. A hacker doesn’t need to break into your office if they can break into an employee’s home Wi-Fi and steal their corporate credentials from an unsecured personal laptop.
A recent analysis of US cities highlighted that Los Angeles and San Francisco are most susceptible to cyber intrusions due to high-risk industry density . With so many remote and hybrid workers, the attack surface has expanded exponentially. If your audit failed on mobile device management, hackers see a sprawling, unguarded perimeter.
The Fix: You need to separate the personal from the professional. IT Support Services must extend to mobile devices through Mobile Device Management (MDM) solutions that allow you to wipe corporate data from a lost device without wiping the employee’s vacation photos.
6. No Incident Response Plan
Your audit likely tested your technical defenses, but it also tested your process. If you failed because you don’t have a documented Incident Response Plan—or you have one but have never practiced it—this is a huge win for hackers.
Why? Because chaos is their friend. When a ransomware attack hits, the first few hours are critical. If your team is panicking, trying to figure out who to call, and debating whether to pay the ransom, the attacker is calmly exfiltrating terabytes of your sensitive data.
Real-world impact hits close to home. The Superior Court of California for the County of San Joa Valley recently issued a notice regarding a breach between October 25 and October 30, 2024, where unauthorized actors acquired files containing names and Social Security numbers . Even government entities are struggling to contain these incidents. If a court can be breached, so can your business. The difference is whether you have a plan to hit the brakes.
The Fix: An incident response plan is a living document. It requires strategy and testing. This is a crucial part of IT Strategy & Planning at ITTC. We help Los Angeles businesses build the playbook they need before the alarm goes off.
7. Over-Reliance on Outdated On-Premise Servers
While the cloud offers flexibility, many businesses still run critical operations on a server in a closet that hasn’t been touched in years. If your audit flagged end-of-life operating systems (like Windows Server 2008 or 2012), you are holding a ticking bomb.
Hackers have reverse-engineered these old operating systems. They know every flaw. They actively scan for these legacy systems because they know they are easy targets. If the server holds financial data or patient records, the payout for them is massive.
California healthcare providers are frequent targets. In June 2025 alone, California reported 9 separate data breach incidents, affecting over 5.47 million individuals . Many of these attacks prey on outdated infrastructure that is too costly or complex for businesses to replace on their own.
The Fix: Modernizing your infrastructure doesn’t have to happen overnight, but it has to happen. Whether it’s a hybrid approach or a full migration, Corporate Cloud Computing can offload the burden of maintaining unsupported hardware. Moving to the cloud means the responsibility for patching the underlying hardware shifts to the provider, giving you one less thing to worry about.
Turning a Failure into a Blueprint for Success
Failing an audit is embarrassing, but it is not the end of the world. It is a diagnostic tool. It tells you exactly where you are bleeding. The worst thing you can do is file that report away in a drawer and hope for the best. As we’ve outlined, hackers are counting on you to do exactly that.
At IT Training & Consulting, Inc., we don’t just read your audit report; we build a battle plan around it. We are based here in Los Angeles. We understand the specific threats facing California businesses, from regulatory pressure to the tactics of modern cyber gangs.
Don’t let your network security audit become a shopping list for criminals. Let’s fix the gaps, lock the doors, and make sure the next audit is a passing grade.
Stop wondering what hackers see. Call us today at (844) 804-4882 or reach out through our Contact Page to schedule a consultation. We’ll help you turn your weakest links into your strongest defenses.
