What is Server Hardening? What are the Essential Steps of the Server Hardening Process?

We live in a digitally powered world wherein while the introduction of newer technologies and digital means has made our lives easier but at the same time, has also given us much to contemplate about. Since a lot of our information and work is saved online and can be manipulated easily, it also comes across as a point of tension.

Server hardening is one of the best practices used vastly to keep organizations safe and sound but very few people know what it exactly is. With this blog, we aim to get across the answers to the questions of what is server hardening as well as what are the essential steps of the server hardening process.

Let’s go ahead in a step- wise manner to fully comprehend the field and how you stand a chance to become a leading name in this super- expanding sector.

 

 

What is Server Hardening?

 

Server hardening is a collection of techniques, best practices and tools to reduce the vulnerability in technology infrastructure, systems, firmware, applications and other areas. Server hardening is stated as a type of system hardening.

The central aim of server hardening is to minimise the security risk by shrinking the attack surface of the system. The malware and attackers find fewer opportunities of getting a foothold of an organization’s ecosystem when an expert removes superfluous accounts functions, access, programs, ports, permissions, applications, etc.

 

Why are most Servers Vulnerable?

The requirements for server hardening come from the compliance and IT security teams. However, the main work is carried out by the operations teams. Proper server hardening requires a huge process to be followed precisely and it all encompasses intensive manual work that tests the policy impact in a lab- created environment to ensure that hardening of the servers will not negatively impact or damage the production operations.

The IT operations here face dilemma as they need to keep all business operations functioning and running but at the same time, the server hardening needs to be done too. Application and operating system misconfigurations are commonly witnessed because proper hardening of servers leads to some downtime, which is not preferred by the IT operations teams. Hence, these misconfigurations sometimes also lead to security flaws, leaving the organization exposed.

 

Why do Organizations Struggle with Server Hardening?

There are a ton of reasons why many organizations struggle with server hardening and here are the top three reasons which have been felt and seen by many –

• Managing multiple environments and policies is a hectic and difficult task.
• Any user who has administrative rights can go ahead and change the configuration of a hardened server, which can lead to non- compliance servers and configuration drifts.
• Testing needs to be done prior to hardening servers. However, hardening the servers without simulating, performing and testing a learning process can prove to be risky for the day- to- day operations. Also, testing incorporates a huge investment in manual work.

 

 

What are the Essential Steps of the Server Hardening Process?

 

The process of server hardening is long and involves many actions and steps that need to be taken and carried out smoothly. While the steps do not have a fixed sequence or manner in which they need to be done, but one thing is for sure and that is that they need to done completely and meticulously to ensure that the server has been hardened as well as secured against all malware and cyberattacks.

So, here is a list of the steps that are essential for any server hardening process –

• Secure the Server Location –

You need to place your server is a highly secure and safe location to ensure that the area is limited to only restricted personnel. The settings of the location such as the proximity, the temperature, etc. should be ideal and the area should be locked.

• Set up the Firewall –

A firewall is a fence which is set in place with the aim of separating the computer network from all external sources. It is a security system for an organization’s computer network and is tasked with monitoring the outgoing and the incoming traffic.

Setting up the firewall is a smart method of monitoring the traffic within your network as well as to block any unwanted traffic inflow from the outside. This helps in the prevention of attacks at the very base level itself.

• Secure User Accounts –

There a lot of things that can be done to secure user accounts on a server and those include keeping the passwords and the usernames private. The passwords also need to be unique and strong. Whenever it is possible to heighten the security level, you should consider MFA.

• Control Access Permissions –

Many believe in instituting the ‘principle of least privilege’ and it has also been named one of the most effective ways of verifying that the important configurations, programs, systems and other operations can be accessed by only those who absolutely need it.

When the most important and critical business operations and technologies are put under limited access, an additional and strong layer of security is levied, making server compromise less likely.

• Manage Configurations –

Various forms of configurations are present and needed to manage an IT environment including network, user, NTP (network time protocol) and server. With active management of these various settings, consistency across the multiple systems existing in an IT environment is ensured. You also will be able to achieve visibility into the systems across the servers, also leading to the answer as to how they impact one another.

• Apply Patches to Vulnerabilities –

You should apply software patches as and when the need arises, along with ensuring that the IT environment is getting continuous updates for the maximum level of security.

Any unpatched server software is more prone and is an easy target or the cybercriminals. Hence, updated software will aid in the protection from those vulnerabilities.

• Plan a Backup Strategy –

Having a backup strategy is needed to ensure that in the remote case of a cyberattack, no important information is lost. Hence, having a backup of your server data is imperative. For that to happen, you need to have a backup strategy installed.

• Remove Unnecessary Software –

Keeping your network tidy and organized by removing applications and software which are no longer in use is one of the most essential things to be done. Hackers can easily settle themselves in if you have a huge stack of software which is currently not being used. Hence, removing unnecessary software leads to an organized network, which is way easier to secure.

• Consistent Monitoring –

One of the steps that never takes the low form is consistent monitoring of the server. It is a super important step as it allows you to keep track of that is happening, the activities taking place, who is accessing what and keeping an eye on the log-ins. Hence, you get to know your activity log inside- out and stay secure.

What are the 4 Basic Principles of Server Hardening?

Server hardening is majorly dependent on 4 basic principles and here they are –

• Team Collaboration –

Any server hardening project is only successful when the collaboration between the security team and the IT operations team is done in a binding manner. The active involvement of both these said team is an essential factor. Thus, they need to communicate smoothly and work in a coordinating manner.

• Planning –

Proper planning can lead us in and out of every situation. You should have the security policies ready, making customizations and adoptions wherever needed. Documentation of the project is also an important step to ensure that the server policies are right. But this is only the tip of the iceberg because there are hundreds of other things that need to be planned.

• Testing –

Testing is such a crucial step that in case one fails to perform the necessary testing, it can lead to severe damage to the production applications and servers. Hence, regular testing is a much- needed principle that all server hardening experts put emphasis on.

• Auditing –

For an IT organization to have an audit team is highly recommended and beneficial. This person can also be a security analyst or a system administrator who will be responsible for auditing the policies on a monthly or a quarterly manner.

 

Conclusion

Now that we have gone over what is server hardening and what are the essential steps of the server hardening process, this blog comes to an end. However, with additional information about what makes servers so vulnerable, why do organizations struggle with server hardening and the 4 basic principles of server hardening, this blog gets across much more information than originally promised.

If you are looking to making a career in this field, this blog is the perfect fit as your first read as well as the best piece of advice you can get on how to move ahead. Enrolling with the right institute for Red Hat Security Specialist Training And Certification Course is the right way to begin your career tread and the only name you need to know more about today is Grras Solutions.

Getting more information on this institute is super easy and you can get all of here on our official website!