What Is Hardening?

In IT, hardening helps limit the threat of attack by turning off non-essential services and patching vulnerabilities. It locks down a system, making it harder for attackers to breach security by removing anything other than the basic configurations necessary to run.

Threats to consider

Hardening typically minimises the risks of misconfigurations and operational problems. It also simplifies the compliance process and helps guard against security issues. When looking at the hardening process, it’s essential to consider all possible security threats to know what you’re protecting against and how best to do it. These include the following:

• Malware distribution

• Identity theft

• Sabotaging processes

• Manipulating applications

• Data leakage through hacking

Hardening examples

You can choose from many hardening options to protect against these threats and others, depending on your organisation. Hardening may never be 100 percent attack-proof, but you can look for industry benchmarks. Several different types of hardening exist, including:

• Server

• Software application

• Operating system

• Database

• Network hardening

Some hardening measures include the following:

• Automating updates: Software and hardware updates and patches are necessary for all businesses. Automating them eliminates any human error resulting in a delay in updates, meaning at no time will your system or network remain unprotected. 

• Scanning regularly: To increase security, monitor and scan systems for vulnerabilities, weaknesses, or viruses. You can also automate this process.

• Training staff: It effectively trains all staff members on security threats and how to protect systems from attacks. It might include how to spot phishing and how to transfer data safely.

• Managing passwords: A weak password can mean infiltration of a whole system or network, so all users must reset their passwords if the company suspects a security breach. The users should also utilise processes like password rotation.

• Documenting processes: Being aware of what’s going on is vital, so documenting a threat or unusual occurrence means that others know if it has happened before when they encounter it. It also helps with troubleshooting and identifying threats.

Related terms

• Cybersecurity careers

• Cybersecurity 

• Computer information systems

• IT management

Next steps

Hardening refers to an IT security practice you can use to help guard your systems from a cyberattack. It requires turning off non-essential services and patching vulnerabilities to make it more difficult for bad actors to attack. 

Continue learning and take the next step towards a career in cybersecurity by enrolling in the Google Cybersecurity Professional Certificate on Coursera. This programme can help you gain in-demand skills and begin exploring job titles like security analyst, SOC (security operations centre) analyst, and more. Upon completion, you’ll have exclusive access to a job platform with over 150 employees hiring for entry-level cybersecurity roles and other resources supporting your job search.