The quickest way to finish the task is to deploy servers in their default state. But it’s nearly guaranteed that the server will be designed for use at the expense of cybersecurity. You can significantly lower your risk of expensive breaches and business interruptions from attacks, malware (including ransomware), and other cyber threats by spending a little time on Windows Server hardening, which involves identifying and resolving security vulnerabilities that threat actors could exploit.
Although server hardening is essential for cybersecurity, you should adopt the proper controls and processes, raise security awareness throughout the organization, and adhere to other crucial data security best practices.
Configuration Management
- It’s important to study some general security best practices for creating, documenting, and managing your configurations before digging into specific secure configuration guidance:
- Keep an inventory record for each server that shows the server’s initial configuration in detail and tracks any modifications.
- To lower risk, evaluate and scale back the apps deployed on each server.
- Before implementing any recommended changes to server hardware or software in a live environment, ensure the changes have been thoroughly tested and validated.
- Regularly carry out a risk analysis.
- Maintain the same modification level across all servers to make configuration management simpler.
How vulnerability scans aid server hardening.
Vulnerability scans will find missing updates and incorrect configurations that unprotect your server.
A vulnerability scan will reveal any open ports or active systems that react to network traffic, enabling you to act appropriately.
When new servers join your network, a vulnerability scan will also identify them, enabling the security team to confirm that the appropriate configuration standards comply with your information security policy.
Here are some of Server Hardening examples:
- Physical security.
- Operating systems.
- Applications.
- Networks & services.
- System auditing & monitoring.
- Access controls.
- Data encryption.
- Patching OS updates.
- System Backups.
How AK Techno Solution Can Help
AK Techno Solution simplifies Windows Server hardening and configuration management. It uses a system and file integrity monitoring technology to analyze configuration settings, pinpoint vulnerabilities and errors, and provides detailed guidance for establishing a hardened baseline configuration. Then it helps you maintain those secure configurations by monitoring and alerting on suspicious changes to:
- Filesystem
- Registry
- Windows Security and Audit policy
- Installed software
- Local user groups and accounts
- Open network ports
- Service states and running processes
- Email setup
- Server setup
Consult AK Techno Solution today!