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What is Host Hardening?
The host hardening process starts with an requirements evaluation to see what the server is for and to assess the risks involved, as always security is a balance between ultimate security and usability. The more secure something is, by nature the less usable it becomes.
The main stages of host hardening are as follows:
Disabling unused services and user accounts
Tightening the security settings of required services (Limiting access by host or IP block)
Replacing insecure or vulnerable services with more secure alternatives
Removing unused tools, libraries, and files (OS minimization)
Tightening file system security settings (System ACLS)
Installing host-based intruder detection systems (HIDS)
Running high risk services in a tightly controlled environment (e.g. chroot jail)
Why Host Hardening?
Host Hardening often goes hand in hand with intrusion detection and is an important part of building a secure information security architecture. It is of course most important when it comes to public facing or Internet enabled servers such as e-mail, web or DNS servers.
Security should always consist or multi-tiered, multi-layered hardened solutions, the outside consisting of perimeter devices such as routers, firewalls and proxies and the interior with intrusion detection systems.
Just like its name suggests, the main function of host hardening is to harden the key servers within your environment. The host hardening takes place to ensure the confidentiality and integrity of your systems.
Of course the security must be tested and the architecture is as equally important as the security of a single server, BRIP can provide Technical Security Assessment Services (Penetration Testing & Vulnerability Assessment) and can also Review your Security Architecture as a whole.
The Benefits of Host Hardening
The main benefits of Host Hardening are:
Ensures the integrity and confidentiality for crucial servers and data
Greatly reduces the risk of malicious attacks or web defacements
Limits company liability by securing servers against spam attacks and being used as zombies
Increases server performance and stability as a by-product of increasing security
