What is Operating System hardening?
Hardening of operating systems is one of the first steps a security admin should take when safeguarding systems from intrusion. Workstations and servers typically arrive from the vendor, installed with a multitude of development tools and utilities, which, although beneficial to the new user, also provide potential back-door access to an organisation’s systems.
A new ‘out of the box’ system has a larger vulnerability surface because it most likely contains applications that will never be used and will eventually become vulnerable to exploits; in principle a single-function system is more secure than a multipurpose one. Reducing available vectors of attack typically includes the removal of unnecessary software, unnecessary high privilege usernames/logins and the disabling or removal of unnecessary services.
Upon successful hardening of the Operating System, image creation and performance baselines should be documented to allow for successful duplication of the hardened operating system onto future new computer systems. You may also wish to consider our penetration testing services.
SA Systems Operating System Hardening Process
- Perform Operating System specific hardening through our standardized techniques
- Image creation of new hardened Operating System
- Performance baselines taken over initial week
- Change management plan for Patches and Service Packs implemented
- Documentation of above systems and plans
If you require Operating System hardening for on an individual computer system or on bulk basis, please get in touch for a quotation.
Is Operating System Hardening right for you?
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