What is Security Hardening?

Security hardening is a process by which a server or a machine is rendered invulnerable to threats. Its achieved by reducing the threat surface significantly against all attack vectors. As a cyberdefense strategy, it is recommended to eliminate vulnerabilities at the application level, machine level and at the network level.

• At the application level, it is important to remove all unnecessary applications and files installed on the server.
• At the machine level, unnecessary permissions and unused user accounts should be removed. The firmware of the server and the applications installed should be free of known vulnerabilities and up-to-date.
• At the network level, the firewall settings and rules should be strictly monitored and controlled. Unused ports should be blocked, remote access points should be secured, unnecessary protocols and services should be disabled or removed. All network traffic should be encrypted.

This document explains the steps recommended to harden the security posture of the organization at the application level, device level, and at the network level.

• What is Security Hardening
• Hardening Securden at the Application Level
• Steps to Harden the Securden Primary Server
• Steps to Harden Securden Application Servers
• Steps to Harden the Network
• General Hardening Tasks