In this section, we are going to focus on securing operating systems. In an organization, the IT department usually has a baseline for each unique system. A security baseline dictates how an operating system should be installed and configured to ensure security requirements are met.
A security baseline for an operating system usually consists of the following:
- Disable any unnecessary services on the operating system.
- Install system updates and patches regularly.
- Enforce a password complexity policy.
- Disable or remove any unnecessary user accounts.
- Ensure endpoint protection, such as an antivirus, is installed and updated.
- Enable system logging for accountability.
