Configuration and change management

The idea behind configuration and change management is that all computer systems enter their life cycle with a baseline: secure configuration. By establishing a known-to-be-secure set of configuration procedures, the baseline, any computer system can start its life with a validated set of secure settings. From that point on, any change to the system configuration and setup will trigger change control procedures that track the changes.

To illustrate, a baseline configuration procedure dictates that a brand new computer system will have its host-based firewall enabled without any firewall exceptions applied. Then, depending on the applications that will run on this system, changes to the baseline configuration might be necessary. For example, when an FTP server is installed, a firewall exception allowing inbound FTP traffic would be necessary. Configuration and change management involves placing procedures around the creation of the baseline configuration...