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System Hardening
System Hardening
Let’s break down the core components of a comprehensive hardening strategy, the same ones we enforce in our Ironclad Security framework.
Why and what is system hardening?
TDLR; forgotten accounts, old devices, and unused service accounts create headaches.
System hardening is the act of reducing the attack surface by eliminating the means bad actors can use to attack systems. System hardening is important because every open port, outdated printer driver, and unpatched workstation is a potential entry point for attackers.
Hackers don’t always “break in” more often, they walk through doors that were left unlocked: a forgotten admin account, an unpatched OS, or a default password. System hardening closes those doors. It ensures that even if attackers find their way to your network, they find no easy path forward.
A general breakdown to system hardening
System hardening happens at multiple levels, generally speaking we review the following:
- OS hardening involves removing unnecessary services, enforcing strong permissions, and applying security configurations that reduce risk.
- Port and Protocol Management involves closing default ports or risky ports that are often attacked such as SSH, RDP, or FTP.
- Printer and Peripheral Security involves changing default configurations, disabling unsured protocols, and keeping firmware up to date.
- Patch Management Program A patch management program keeps your servers and endpoints up to date and provides a report of currently patched endpoints.
- Account Lockout and Brute Force Protection involves adding policies to prevent brute force attempts, and lengthen the time it takes for attackers to successfully brute force.
- Password/Authentication Policies Involves adding password complexity, MFA, expiration timelines, password complexity, or adding zero trust enforcements.
- Screen Locks involves locking screens after 15 minutes of inactivity.
- Device Hardening involves DLP policies such as USB blocks, encryption, reviewing accounts, and removing unused software.
- Network Security involves creating VLANs, locking down firewalls, blocking ports or adding additional policies such as IDP/IPS on firewalls, and creating alerts.
How often should systems be hardened?
When every endpoint, server, and device is locked down, the entire environment becomes exponentially harder to compromise. Systems should be hardened when they first join the network, according to a baseline, and monitored in real-time to keep up with compliance and operational stability.
Technical Information
TLDR; System hardening is an important and often regulated activity for financial, healthcare, and legal service industries.
Service Information
Control Type
Cybersecurity Framework
Industry
Financial Services, Healthcare, Legal
Documentation
DFS Resource Center
DFS Resource Center
$0
Average IT Budget Savings
Expert guidance on strategic tech adoption from a team with 14 years in the MSP space.
- How Everything Works Together
Integrating Your Security Ecosystem
Think of your cyber program as a living ecosystem. Every tool, technical control, and policy is tailored based upon your risk, budget, and regulatory posture. This creates defense in depth with a goal to lower your attack vectors and provide real time monitoring of threats and bad actors within your network.
- Financial Services
- Healthcare
- Legal
Financial Services
- Cybersecurity,
- Compliance
Optimize IT spend while scaling securely in high-stakes environments.
Our solutions for financial institutions are designed to reduce risk, secure sensitive data, and enable scalable, compliant growth. We bring structure, visibility, and accountability to every layer of your cybersecurity and infrastructure strategy.
Strategic prevention. Multi-layered defense that protects users, data, and systems.
Financial Data Protection
Our team has vast experience with NYSDFS 23 NYCRR Part 500 and 200. From implementing IT systems with documentations and logs that prove compliance, to providing expertise as your vCISO to the senior board, we ensure that your organization remains secure, audit ready, and risk free.
Risk Reduction Strategies
We evaluate the availability, functionality, and integrity of your existing cybersecurity program by conducting a vulnerability assessment. We work to minimize risks by reducing the attack surface and implementing 24/7 alerting to stay ahead of patterns and behaviors that may indicate a bad actor or threat is being attempted on your network, or from a malicious email.
Hardened Infrastructure
We design and maintain secure, high-performance IT environments that protect critical systems without compromising speed. From firewalls and segmentation to patching and access controls, every component of your infrastructure is built for endurance, reliability, and regulatory confidence.
Strategic Leadership
We can be leveraged to provide the roadmaps, oversight, and executive accountability you need to build a mature, compliant, and effective security ecosystem. Our staff includes a certified Encompass Administrator with deep expertise in the mortgage industry.
Priority Email & Tech Support
Our U.S.-based priority support team delivers direct access to senior engineers for immediate resolution of IT or cybersecurity issues. No ticket queues. No waiting. Just fast, reliable, white glove support when it counts most. Our team works as an extension of your company, with support only a text away to resolve most tech issues.
Email Encryption / Security
Email is still the #1 attack vector. Explore solutions for SMARC, SPF, DKIM, encryption for outbound / inbound emails, spam filtering, and malware protection.
Antivirus & Endpoint Protection
EDR (Endpoint Detection & Response) tools to stop malware, ransomware, and zero-day attacks in real time.
Regulatory Expertise
Deep understanding of the complex compliance landscape in finance.
Zero Trust Architecture
Controls that deny any unknown devices from accessing company resources. Controls to enforce location based logins, cyber baselines on devices, and advanced logging.
Multifactor Authentication
Multifactor adds an additional layer of security to your accounts, helping to prevent phishing attempts or leaked passwords from leading to breaches.
Data Protection
Testing applications, shared data on your network, the way network devices transmit data, and their connections to third party applications.
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Every control reinforces the next, building a cohesive security ecosystem that stops breaches cold.
Healthcare
1+
Priority Email & Tech Support. Our U.S. based priority support team delivers direct access for immediate resolution of IT issues. No ticket queues.
Protecting the Data That Powers Care.
In healthcare, every second matters. Every byte of data carries a legal and ethical responsibility. Healthcare organizations need secure, compliant, and always-on IT systems that enable care without interruption.
Strategic prevention. Multi-layered defense that protects users, data, and systems.
Patient Data Protection
Protecting Protected Health Information (PHI) is at the heart of modern healthcare compliance. We deploy multi-layered data protection, encryption, and access control systems that meet HIPAA and HITECH standards.
Risk Reduction Strategies
We evaluate the availability, functionality, and integrity of your existing cybersecurity program by conducting a vulnerability assessment. We work to minimize risks by reducing the attack surface and implementing 24/7 alerting to stay ahead of patterns and behaviors that may indicate a bad actor or threat is being attempted on your network, or from a malicious email.
Highly Available Infrastructure
We design and maintain secure, high performance IT environments that protect critical systems without compromising speed. From firewalls and segmentation to patching and access controls, we create a hardened infrastructure that keeps patient care systems operational and isolated from risk.
Zero Drift Compliance
Our zero drift compliance model ensures ongoing alignment with HIPAA, HITECH, and NIST 800-53 standards through continuous monitoring, policy documentation, and control verification.
Priority Email & Tech Support
Our U.S. based healthcare IT support team delivers priority level response for both cybersecurity and system performance issues.
Email Encryption / Security
Email is still the #1 attack vector. Explore solutions for SMARC, SPF, DKIM, encryption for outbound / inbound emails, spam filtering, and malware protection.
Antivirus & Endpoint Protection
EDR (Endpoint Detection & Response) tools to stop malware, ransomware, and zero-day attacks in real time.
Highly Available Infrastructure
Scalable, high availability IT infrastructure built for healthcare operations.
Zero Trust Architecture
Controls that deny any unknown devices from accessing company resources. Controls to enforce location based logins, cyber baselines on devices, and advanced logging.
Multifactor Authentication
Multifactor adds an additional layer of security to your accounts, helping to prevent phishing attempts or leaked passwords from leading to breaches.
Data Protection
Testing applications, shared data on your network, the way network devices transmit data, and their connections to third party applications.
Request an Advanced Security Assessment
Every control reinforces the next, building a cohesive security ecosystem that stops breaches cold.
Healthcare Cyber Compliancy
Federal Laws
HIPAA
United States Federal Law
HITECH
United States Federal Law
State Cybersecurity Regulations
NYCRR Section 405.46
New York State Department of Health
Frameworks
NIST 800-53
Information Security Standard
SOLOS: a program review conducted by our firm on your existing cybersecurity program. We can be leveraged as your vCISO to identify and fix gaps in your operations.
Legal
1+
Priority Email & Tech Support. Our U.S. based priority support team delivers direct access for immediate resolution of IT issues. No ticket queues.
- Cybersecurity,
- Compliance
Safeguarding Confidentiality, Compliance, and Client Confidence.
We deliver IT and cybersecurity solutions engineered for law firms and legal practices, designed to protect privileged data, support compliance with client and regulatory mandates, and keep your systems available around the clock.
Protect privilege. Safeguard confidentiality.
Client Data Protection
We deploy encryption, endpoint protection, and the ability to perform secure file transfer systems to ensure sensitive client communications, contracts, and discovery materials remain protected at every stage.
Risk Reduction Strategies
We evaluate the availability, functionality, and integrity of your existing cybersecurity program by conducting a vulnerability assessment. We work to minimize risks by reducing the attack surface and implementing 24/7 alerting to stay ahead of patterns and behaviors that may indicate a bad actor or threat is being attempted on your network, or from a malicious email.
Our approach focuses on data access, user behavior, and vendor integrations, helping your team maintain availability, integrity, and confidentiality at every level of operation.
Hardened Infrastructure
We design and maintain secure, high performance IT environments that protect critical systems without compromising speed. Your network, document systems, and remote connections are locked down and optimized for secure collaboration.
Zero Drift Compliance
Keeps your systems, policies, and vendors aligned with ABA guidelines, client data clauses, and evolving cybersecurity mandates. You stay audit ready and compliant by default.
Priority Email & Tech Support
Our U.S. based healthcare IT support team delivers priority level response for both cybersecurity and system performance issues. We have expertise with secure collaboration tools for hybrid and remote legal teams.
Email Encryption / Security
Email is still the #1 attack vector. Explore solutions for SMARC, SPF, DKIM, encryption for outbound / inbound emails, spam filtering, and malware protection.
Antivirus & Endpoint Protection
EDR (Endpoint Detection & Response) tools to stop malware, ransomware, and zero-day attacks in real time.
Highly Available Infrastructure
Scalable, high availability IT infrastructure built for healthcare operations.
Zero Trust Architecture
Controls that deny any unknown devices from accessing company resources. Controls to enforce location based logins, cyber baselines on devices, and advanced logging.
Multifactor Authentication
Multifactor adds an additional layer of security to your accounts, helping to prevent phishing attempts or leaked passwords from leading to breaches.
Data Protection
Testing applications, shared data on your network, the way network devices transmit data, and their connections to third party applications.
Request an Advanced Security Assessment
Every control reinforces the next, building a cohesive security ecosystem that stops breaches cold.
Legal Cyber Compliancy
Federal Laws
GDPR
General Data Protection Regulation
Frameworks
ABA cybersecurity guidelines
Information Security Standard
SOLOS: a program review conducted by our firm on your existing cybersecurity program. We can be leveraged as your vCISO to identify and fix gaps in your operations.