Cis benchmark server hardening password#
Cis benchmark server hardening windows#

It could equal more calls to the help desk to unlock a frustrated employee’s account. One caveat – a longer lockout period doesn’t necessarily mean better security.

Cis benchmark server hardening password#

Setting a threshold for password attempts in a given time period can help prevent malicious activity. That’s where the security configuration for account lockout comes in. Unfortunately, it’s not all that simple to tell the difference between a struggling user and a malicious actor. Today’s password requirements sometimes allow a user to incorrectly attempt their password several times. Security configuration 4: Account lockout It’s vital to apply security configurations to your system, but for a truly hardened OS, your organization must also track and audit activity.

Cis benchmark server hardening windows#

The CIS Benchmark for Microsoft Windows Server 2019 includes security configurations to ensure your organization can easily audit and track activity in your systems on a per-system and/or per-user basis. The larger event categories created too many events, and the key information for auditing was hard to find. Tracking events at a per-system or per-user level prior to the introduction of auditing subcategories in Windows Vista was difficult. Security configuration 3: Enable audit subcategory policies Hardening your OS with firewalls is crucial to defend your OS against malware and malicious activity. These include connections, display notifications, and logging. The CIS Benchmark for Microsoft Windows Server 2019 details more than 10 security configurations for firewalls. Because of these reasons, this is another important security configuration in the CIS Benchmarks. They also stop malware activity that might attempt to retrieve your organization’s data. Most basically, they prevent unauthorized users from accessing your networks.

The cybersecurity community knows the benefits of firewalls. Of course, hours can be adjusted for those who work the night shift. Specifically, you can configure Microsoft Windows Server 2019 to have set logon hours and automatically force logoff outside those hours. This setting prevents unnecessary open access when employees are not using their workstations. With this in mind, your organization should create settings for automatic logoff after a certain time. Even though operating cloud-based systems means you can theoretically work from anywhere (and at any time), it’s unlikely most employees would need to log on at 2:00 A.M. Your organization’s workforce probably adheres to a specific work schedule. CIS Security configuration 1: Disconnect after hours To illustrate the importance of using trusted guidelines for achieving security in the cloud, CIS pulled recommendations from the CIS Benchmark for Microsoft Windows Server 2019. Guideline for hardening your cloud-based OS That’s why it’s important to use industry-recognized guidelines to harden your OS. Hundreds of security recommendations may exist to harden your operating systems (OS). Cloud security is just as vital as on-premises security.