Most commonly available servers operate on a general-purpose operating system. OpenSCAP seems more approachable than OpenVAS, and appears to be written to test against NIST standards . The link below is a list of all their current guides, this includes guides for Macs, Windows, Cisco, and many others. System Hardening vs. System Patching. As of this writing, there are nearly 600 STIGs, each of which may comprise hundreds of security checks specific to the component being hardened. For hardening or locking down an operating system (OS) we first start with security baseline. When we want to strengthen the security of the system, we we need to follow some basic guidelines. I'm fairly new to this area, but I'm researching OpenSCAP and OpenVAS . Operational security hardening items MFA for Privileged accounts . The National Security Agency publishes some amazing hardening guides, and security information. First, let’s revisit STIG basics. If you ever want to make something nearly impenetrable this is where you'd start. The process o f loading an operating system and then har dening a system seem ed to be 2 independent and time -consumin g oper ations This standard was written to provide a minimum standard for the baseline of Window Server Security and to help Administrators avoid some of the common configuration flaws that could leave systems more exposed. new or upgraded operating system installations based on best security practices in conjunction with system prepar ation guidelines set by one s comp any. The first step in securing a server is securing the underlying operating system. Systems hardening is a collection of tools, techniques, and best practices to reduce vulnerability in technology applications, systems, infrastructure, firmware, and other areas. The DoD developed STIGs, or hardening guidelines, for the most common components comprising agency systems. The goal of systems hardening is to reduce security risk by eliminating potential attack vectors and condensing the system… Attackers look for a way in, and look for vulnerabilities in exposed parts of the system. I'd like to write about how to use a tool to automatically scan a system per some guidelines or vulnerability database. 1.3. Hardening system components To harden system components, you change configurations to reduce the risk of a successful attack. Different tools and techniques can be used to perform system hardening. Hardening is an integral part of information security and comprises the principles of deter, deny, delay and detection (and hardening covers the first three). Use dual factor authentication for privileged accounts, such as domain admin accounts, but also critical accounts (but also accounts having the SeDebug right). System hardening will occur if a new system, program, appliance, or any other device is implemented into an environment. Surveillance systems can involve 100s or even 1000s of components. The SANS Institute is a partner in the Critical Security Controls project to define the most important tasks for network security. System hardening is the process of securing systems in order to reduce their attack surface. Failure to secure any one component can compromise the system. Organizations should ensure that the server operating system is deployed, configured, and managed to meet the security requirements of the organization. Introduction Purpose Security is complex and constantly changing. Guidelines for System Hardening This chapter of the ISM provides guidance on system hardening. Secure installation It is strongly recommended that Windows 10 be installed fresh on a system. A process of hardening provides a standard for device functionality and security. Installed fresh on a system to make something nearly impenetrable this is where you 'd start to test against standards... 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