What is System Hardening? Types and Benefits Explained.

The best way to defend your organization against cyberattacks is to ensure hackers never gain a toehold in your IT infrastructure. System hardening helps minimize your vulnerabilities and reduce your overall attack surface.

Read on to learn more about what system hardening is, security best practices, including various types of system hardening, system hardening standards to follow, key benefits, and more. We’ll also discuss tactics for hardening your LenelS2 systems to protect your vital infrastructure from cyberattacks.

What Does System Hardening Mean?

System hardening refers to a range of strategies and best practices aimed at reducing security vulnerabilities at every layer of your IT infrastructure, including software, hardware, and firmware. The hardening process involves securing or removing unnecessary programs, accounts, functions, and permissions, thus shrinking the system's attack surface.

In cybersecurity, system hardening is the proactive fortification of servers, applications, operating systems, networks, devices, and databases against cybersecurity threats. It encompasses everything from updating and patching software to configuring security settings and managing access controls. Effective system hardening mitigates cyber risks, safeguards sensitive data and minimizes disruption to everyday operations.

Your IT ecosystem consists of many types of infrastructure, each with its own best practices for hardening. From patching software to segregating servers, here are some of the actions you should take to protect your system against cyber physical attacks.

Hardening starts with securing the data center and ensuring only authorized staff can access physically or virtually. For cloud servers, inventory all open ports and close any that are unnecessary, as they can be a point of access for hackers. Other important steps include avoiding unnecessary software installations, implementing strict access controls, and segregating servers to reduce risks.

To harden your operating system, implement automatic updating and patching; remove any unnecessary drivers, libraries, and other functionality; and closely manage systems permissions.

Application hardening involves removing unused components, restricting access based on user roles, and employing robust security measures like patch management and encryption. To encourage employees to follow password best practices, consider implementing a password management solution that prompts them to change passwords regularly, offers feedback on password length and complexity, and so on.

Network hardening includes tactics such as network segmentation, regular system auditing, and the use of firewalls and encryption. These measures help you monitor and control the flow of information across your network, protecting it from unauthorized access and attacks.

Effective database hardening strategies include enforcing strong access controls, encryption of data at rest and in transit, and eliminating unused and default database accounts.

System Hardening Standards

Adherence to established system hardening standards is critical for compliance and security efficacy. Recognized as best practices by the entire industry, the CIS Benchmarks provide a comprehensive set of guidelines for secure system configuration for over 25 families of products from various vendors. Organizations must follow these standards to enhance their security posture and achieve compliance with various regulatory requirements.

Following system-hardening best practices unlocks many benefits for your organization. In addition to bolstering your security, it can also support compliance and boost IT asset performance, among other advantages.

Legal and Regulatory Compliance

Depending on your industry, your organization may be subject to regulations such as the North American Electric Reliability Corporation Critical Infrastructure Protection (NERC CIP) plan for utilities, the PCI Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) for payments processors and providers, and the Health Insurance and Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) for providers in the healthcare industry. 

Because LenelS2 does not collect credit card or healthcare data, we are not subject to regulations such as PCI DSS or HIPAA ourselves. However, our robust security protections help our customers comply with these and other rules, avoiding fines and legal penalties and maintaining trust with their customers and partners.

Increased Security

A hardened system presents fewer vulnerabilities for attackers to exploit, significantly reducing the risk of data breaches, cyber-attacks, or other security incidents.

Protection Against Malware

By reducing the number of potential entry points available, hardening your systems protects them against infection by malicious software. This proactive measure is critical in maintaining the integrity and confidentiality of sensitive data, especially with ransomware attacks continuing to make headlines.

Improved Performance and System Functionality

System hardening streamlines operations by removing unnecessary software and services, which can consume valuable system resources. This leads to enhanced performance and can extend the life span of IT equipment by reducing the workload on system components.

Enhanced Reliability and Minimized Downtime

4 Ways to Harden and Improve Cybersecurity of Your LenelS2 System

LenelS2 offers a variety of solutions, including our industry-leading LenelS2 OnGuard access control system. OnGuard features a wide range of capabilities, including video surveillance and alarm monitoring. Like all components of your organization’s technology stack, it can benefit from system hardening to improve cybersecurity.

LenelS2 Cybersecurity Assessment Service

With the Cybersecurity Assessment Service, LenelS2 works hand in hand with businesses across a variety of industries to systematically identify and remediate existing cybersecurity vulnerabilities while also strengthening businesses’ cybersecurity posture against potential future threats by leveraging leading-edge standards and technologies.

The Cybersecurity Assessment prioritizes risk identification, enables compliance, and highlights gaps for enhanced security measures. Armed with a comprehensive understanding of your security posture, your organization can proactively manage risks and better protect against financial loss, legal consequences, and brand damage.

LenelS2 will conduct a thorough cybersecurity assessment across up to three sites, inclusive of the primary or central server. Throughout the assessment process, LenelS2 will focus on opportunities for system and hardware hardening, vulnerability assessments, and network security analysis in alignment with IEC 62443 and NIST SP 800-53 standards. As an outcome of the project, LenelS2 will identify gaps and deliver enhancement recommendations for bridging the disparity between your current practices and contemporary cybersecurity standards.

Additional best practices on ways to harden and improve cybersecurity within your system can be found below.

Assess and Identify Vulnerabilities

Regular vulnerability assessments can help identify and mitigate potential security weaknesses, serving as an early detection system to preempt breaches. These assessments should be conducted consistently to adapt to new threats that evolve as technology changes. Check the Hardening Guide for your product version for recommendations on how to harden your applications, networks, devices, and other infrastructure.

Regular Update and Patch Software

Keeping software up to date is crucial to protecting your systems. It is always recommended to upgrade to the newest supported update or product release for the latest security enhancements, performance, and defect fixes.

Educate & Train Employees

Training employees to recognize security threats and adhere to best practices is essential for creating a secure organizational culture. Continuous education programs can significantly reduce the risk of breaches resulting from human error or social engineering attacks.

Safeguard Your Security Systems with System Hardening

Implementing robust system hardening measures is vital for the security and efficiency of your IT infrastructure. By following the outlined strategies and leveraging industry-standard practices, you can significantly enhance the resilience of your systems against cyber threats. 

Ready to harden your systems? Contact LenelS2 to learn more about how to strengthen your security protections.

Please note, the material provided is for informational purposes only, is general in nature, and is not intended to and should not be relied upon or construed as professional, medical or legal advice. Individuals and entities using or referencing the materials are encouraged to consult a professional regarding any specific circumstance.  LenelS2 expressly disclaims all responsibility and shall have no liability for any damages, injuries of any kind or any liability whatsoever suffered as a result of your reliance on the information set forth in these materials.