Server hardening is a system hardening process that aims to protect and secure a server against cyberattacks by reducing its attack surface. An attack surface consists of all possible points of a system where an unauthorized attacker can attempt to enter. Minimizing the number of these vulnerabilities “hardens” a server against exploitations and increases data security. The goal of server hardening is to reduce the attack surface of the server by removing all unnecessary components and access to the server to maximize its security. This includes removing software that is not needed and configuring the remaining software to maximize security. By doing so, the attack surface can be reduced, and an attacker has fewer opportunities to compromise the server. Server hardening is vital because it can mitigate the effects of possible cyberattacks, and it is key for securing the data and operations of a server.
Some general server security measures include keeping a server’s operating system patched and updated, configuring firewalls, disabling unnecessary services, and implementing access controls. Server hardening is a necessary strategy that helps to support business uptime and continual operations. It is a requirement of security frameworks such as PCI-DSS and is typically categorized into five areas: server hardening, operating system (OS) hardening, software application hardening, network hardening, and database hardening.
