How is encryption and authentication measured?

Encryption and authentication audits focus on both configuration and implementation. Key metrics include full-disk or file-level encryption status, strength of cryptographic algorithms in use, and whether device keys are hardware-backed. For authentication, measure presence and enforcement of multi-factor methods, biometric enrollment rates, and password complexity policy compliance. Recording the percentage of devices with proper encryption enabled and the share using approved authentication methods helps quantify risk and prioritize remediation.

What appstore and permissions checks are needed?

Auditors should track app provenance and permission sets. Important indicators include the percentage of apps installed from official appstore sources versus sideloaded packages, counts of apps requesting high-risk permissions (contacts, SMS, camera, microphone, location), and stale or unused apps that remain installed. Combining appstore sourcing with periodic permission scans reveals exposure to potentially unsafe or privacy-invasive software and supports focused cleanup and policy enforcement.

How to monitor patching and endpoint status?

Patching metrics gauge how current operating systems and apps are across the fleet. Useful indicators include mean time to patch critical OS vulnerabilities, percentage of devices with the latest security updates, and distribution of endpoint agent versions. Endpoint monitoring should report last-seen timestamps, device health signals, and telemetry retention periods. These measures indicate how quickly security defects are addressed and whether devices remain reachable for incident response.

How to assess access controls and VPN use?

Access and network controls reduce lateral risk. Track metrics such as proportion of devices using organization-approved VPN configurations, frequency of failed access attempts, and counts of devices with excessive privilege or global administrative access. Auditors can also measure session duration under VPN, split-tunnel usage, and whether conditional access policies are enforced. These indicators help determine if remote connections and access controls align with compliance requirements.

How to detect phishing and malware indicators?

Detection metrics focus on both user behavior and technical signals. Monitor reports of successful phishing attempts, percentage of users who report suspicious messages, and rates of blocked malicious links. For malware, measure the count of detected threats per device, time to detection, and the number of devices requiring remediation for identified infections. Correlating phishing exposure with subsequent malware incidents helps identify training or technical gaps to address.

How to evaluate privacy, compliance, and device risk?

Privacy and compliance metrics bridge technical checks and policy objectives. Track the percentage of devices with privacy settings aligned to policy, number of data-accessing apps with consent logged, and the presence of data-leak prevention controls. Compliance indicators can include audit trail completeness, frequency of compliance exceptions, and percentage of devices passing a baseline compliance checklist. Aggregating these signals produces a device risk score that helps prioritize audits and remediation.

Conclusion

A structured device safety audit relies on repeatable indicators: encryption and authentication status, appstore sourcing and permissions, patching and endpoint health, access and VPN enforcement, and phishing/malware detection metrics. Combining these measurements into dashboards and risk-scoring models supports clear compliance reporting and targeted remediation. Regularly reviewing measurement definitions and thresholds ensures audits remain relevant as device platforms and threat landscapes evolve.