Tools, techniques, and best practises

Tools, techniques, and best practises can be used to harden technologies such as applications, systems, infrastructure, and firmware. In order to minimise the risk of attack, hardening systems is necessary. Your IT ecosystem is less vulnerable to attacks and malware if you remove unneeded programmes, accounts, ports, permissions and access.

An auditing procedure is required to find and address a company’s security flaws. The following are examples of system hardening:

• Hardening applications
• Making the Operating System More Robust
• Safeguarding the server
• Encryption DB
• Security on the network.

Reduce the attack surface by hardening systems

While the principles of system hardening are the same across all hardening methods, the tools and techniques employed vary. PCI DSS and HIPAA also requires system hardening throughout the technology lifecycle, from original installation to decommissioning.

It is the total of all possible technological flaws and backdoors that hackers can take advantage of. These are some of the problems:

• Integer-based passwords
• Login credentials in plain text
• Software flaws that haven’t been patched
• Poorly configured servers, switches, routers or infrastructure
• Unencrypted data transmission
• No privileged access controls

Hardening your computer system using these 9 tips

1. Analyze the current setup using penetration testing and vulnerability scanning. Test against CIS, NIST, DISA, etc.
2. Plan and prioritise based on severity and risk.
3. Implement automated detection and patching.
4. Encrypt network traffic, secure remote access, disable unused services, and enforce access control lists.
5. Ensure servers are in secure data centres and follow least privilege access.
6. Remove sample files, defaults, enforce strong passwords, and review integration permissions.
7. Harden databases with encryption, remove unused accounts, implement RBAC.
8. Automate OS updates, encrypt registry and system access, and audit activities.
9. Remove deleted, unused, or orphaned accounts enforcing least privilege.

System hardening is a win for everyone

It takes time and work to harden your systems, yet the effort provides dividends throughout your organisation.

Less risk of operational errors, misconfigurations, incompatibilities, and compromise can be achieved by reducing the number of programmes and functions that are used. Data breaches, unauthorized access, system hacking, or malware are less likely when the attack surface is smaller. Having fewer programmes and accounts to audit makes compliance and auditing more straightforward.