Server hardening depends on the hardware and the applications on the server. Let us see the common steps that we can take to improve the security of the server. A firewall controls all the access that is made to the server. However, we can block all the unwanted ports in the server to avoid hacking and spamming.
If we were to use a simple example of a file on a computer as an asset, then the system hardening process would include steps like: File encryption. Password protection. Automating system log-off. Improved physical security. Restricted network and physical access.
System hardening is the process of configuring an IT asset to reduce its exposure to security vulnerabilities. That exposure is commonly referred to as an attack surface, and it is the sum of all the potential flaws and entry points that attackers can use to compromise a system.
These system hardening standards are available for free from bodies like the National Institute of Standards and Technology and the Center for Internet Security. Each repository consists of a list of vendors, their technology offerings, and the benchmarks for safeguarding each listed technology.
Server hardening is essential for security and compliance. To ensure the reliable and secure delivery of data, all servers must be secured through hardening. Server hardening helps prevent unauthorized access, unauthorized use, and disruptions in service. It is an essential part of the installation and maintenance of servers ...
Team collaboration:#N#Collaboration between the IT operations team and the security team is essential for the success of a server hardening project. In most cases, the security team will be the one guiding the operations team about which policies to apply to different server roles and environments. The responsibility for the overall project and the actual hardening must be in the hands of the team who is managing the servers. Both teams should be actively involved in the project and communication between the teams is essential for a successful project.
By hardening all servers with standard benchmarks organizations dramatically improve the server security level and reduces the overall attack surface. Most systems running Windows/Linux or similar, provide basic hardening options, but in order to really protect the servers a deep, managed hardening process is required.
Project documentation is essential- make sure that you have the right policies for your servers and that you have the complete server inventory and installed applications in an excel spreadsheet. Testing. Testing is an integral part of making changes in an IT environment.
The reason for choosing a “weak” security policy is the fear of experiencing a conflict between a security setting and the server’s operations.
* Testing must be performed before hardening servers. hardening the servers without testing, simulating and performing a learning process can be risky to day-to-day operations. Testing requires a large investment in manual work.
Server hardening involves applying the principles of system hardening to servers specifically. This means identifying security vulnerabilities in your servers and making configuration changes and other remediation steps required to reduce these vulnerabilities.
User accounts are identities created to allow authenticated access to a server or related system. Different user accounts have different levels of access to core functions of the server, with administrator accounts having the highest level of access. Therefore, enforcing a strong password policy for these accounts is necessary to maintain security.
Marho is a Community Support agent at The Events Calendar and enjoys helping people discover how information technology can provide great solutions to their everyday problems. His career in IT can clearly be traced to his love for all things science fiction.
System hardening is the process of configuring an IT asset to reduce its exposure to security vulnerabilities. That exposure is commonly referred to as an attack surface, and it is the sum of all the potential flaws and entry points that attackers can use to compromise a system.
The increased dependence on IT infrastructure has also led to an increase in the number of hackers looking to infiltrate these systems for nefarious purposes. Over a decade ago, studies showed that a hacking attack occurred every 39 seconds, and in the years since, that rate of attacks can only have gone up.
Improved security posture is the goal of system hardening, and if done correctly, it significantly reduces the risk of you becoming a victim of common security threats. This is because cybersecurity experts constantly update system hardening best practices to match emerging threats and vulnerabilities.
While information technology infrastructure varies based on organizational requirements and use cases, the technologies used to build these systems are common across industries.
Across the different checklists and benchmarks for system hardening, a few procedures appear consistently regardless of the technology you’re securing. Whether it’s a desktop operating system or a networking hardware firewall, the best practices below have proven their efficiency in reducing system vulnerabilities:
We’ve established the importance of system hardening, but the reality is that not all organizations have the technical capacity to effectively implement a system hardening checklist for their infrastructure. This is why switching to a cloud-based solution can be the perfect solution, since a fully managed provider can help with system hardening.
Marho is a Community Support agent at The Events Calendar and enjoys helping people discover how information technology can provide great solutions to their everyday problems. His career in IT can clearly be traced to his love for all things science fiction.