Hardening Windows Server

Hardening Windows Server with the appropriate security controls plays a key role in maintaining a good security posture. Many security controls are built directly into Windows Server, but they may not necessarily be enabled by default. Security teams must do their due diligence to find the appropriate balance of usability to risk when determining what controls to enable. To help with the hardening process and as a fundamental first step, we can implement a preconfigured security baseline designed for Windows Server. In the next section, we will cover implementing these preconfigured recommendations from Microsoft and CIS.

Implementing a security baseline

From a program level, a security baseline is a foundation that consists of clearly defined policies, standards, procedures, and guidelines. They are more than just a set of configurations that apply to devices. In Chapter 2, Building a Baseline, we covered these concepts and discussed their importance...