Systems hardening is a collection of tools, techniques, and best practices to reduce vulnerability in technology applications, systems, infrastructure, firmware, and other areas. The goal of systems hardening is to reduce security risk by eliminating potential attack vector s and condensing the system’s attack surface. By removing superfluous programs, accounts functions, applications, ports, permissions, access, etc. attackers and malware have fewer opportunities to gain a foothold within your IT ecosystem. Show
Systems hardening demands a methodical approach to audit, identify, close, and control potential security vulnerabilities throughout your organization. There are several types of system hardening activities, including:
Although the principles of system hardening are universal, specific tools and techniques do vary depending on the type of hardening you are carrying out. System hardening is needed throughout the lifecycle of technology, from initial installation, through configuration, maintenance, and support, to end-of-life decommissioning. Systems hardening is also a requirement of mandates such as PCI DSS and HIPAA, and is increasingly demanded by cyber insurers. How do you Harden a System?You harden a system by reducing the “attack surface,” the combination of all the potential flaws and backdoors in technology can be exploited by threat actors. These vulnerabilities can occur in many ways. Common attack surface vulnerabilities include:
Additionally, the Center for Internet Security (CIS) maintains updated guidelines on their site around best practice system configurations for specific use cases. The CIS Benchmarks include over 100 guidelines across 25 vendor product families (Amazon Linux, Amazon AWS, Apple iOS, Apple macOS, Checkpoint Firewall, Cisco, Docker, Google Cloud, Microsoft Azure, etc.). 10 Best Practices for Systems HardeningThe type of hardening you carry out depends on the risks in your existing technology, the resources you have available, and the priority for making fixes.
Benefits of Systems HardeningSystems hardening requires continuous effort, but the diligence will pay off in substantive ways across your organization via:
System Hardening - Additional ResourcesWhich encryption method is used in web traffic quizlet?SSL is used with HTTPS to encrypt HTTP traffic on the Internet using both symmetric and asymmetric encryption algorithms. SSL uses port 443 when encrypting HTTPS traffic.
Which of the following is used for biometric authentication?These include fingerprints, facial features, iris patterns, voice samples and DNA. For example, the Automated Fingerprint Identification System, or AFIS, is a database that is used to identify fingerprints.
What presents the largest risk for an organization's infrastructure loss?Natural disasters present the largest risk for infrastructure loss.
Which of the following statements about human safeguards for employees is true?Which of the following statements is true about human safeguards for employees? Correct! User accounts should be defined to give users the least possible privilege needed to perform their jobs.
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