Security Baselines & Hardening

CIS Benchmarks are consensus-based security configuration guidelines developed by a global community of security experts for general use across industries. DoD STIGs (Security Technical Implementation Guides) are configuration standards specifically mandated for U.S. Department of Defense systems. STIGs tend to be more prescriptive and stringent, while CIS Benchmarks offer implementation levels (L1 and L2) allowing organizations to choose based on their security needs. Both provide excellent security, but STIGs are required for DoD contractors and systems handling classified information.

We understand that business requirements sometimes conflict with security baseline recommendations. Our approach includes a formal exception management process where we document the business justification, assess the risk of non-compliance, implement compensating controls where possible, and establish monitoring for excepted items. All exceptions are tracked, regularly reviewed, and require appropriate management approval based on risk level.

Yes, automation is a key component of our security baseline services. We integrate with popular configuration management tools like Ansible, Puppet, Chef, and PowerShell DSC to automate baseline deployment. For cloud environments, we use native tools like AWS Systems Manager, Azure Policy, and Google Cloud Security Command Center. We also provide custom scripts and templates that can be integrated into your CI/CD pipelines for consistent security configuration of new systems.

Security baselines should be reviewed and updated regularly to address new threats and vulnerabilities. We recommend quarterly reviews of your baseline configurations, with updates applied when new versions of CIS Benchmarks or STIGs are released (typically every 6-12 months). Critical security updates should be evaluated and implemented as soon as they're available. We provide ongoing monitoring services to alert you to new baseline releases and help assess their impact on your environment.

We use industry-leading tools for security baseline compliance scanning including CIS-CAT Pro for CIS Benchmark assessments, DISA STIG Viewer and automated SCAP tools for STIG compliance, cloud-native tools like AWS Config, Azure Policy, and GCP Security Command Center for cloud environments, and open-source tools like OpenSCAP and Lynis for additional coverage. We can also integrate with your existing security tools and SIEM platforms for continuous compliance monitoring.

Yes, we offer comprehensive training programs for your IT and security teams. Our training covers understanding security baseline concepts and importance, interpreting CIS Benchmarks and STIG documentation, using compliance scanning tools effectively, implementing and maintaining baselines, managing exceptions and compensating controls, and integrating baseline management into your security program. Training can be delivered on-site, remotely, or through self-paced online modules.

Our security baseline services include comprehensive deliverables: initial assessment reports showing current compliance levels, customized baseline documents tailored to your environment, implementation guides and automation scripts, exception documentation and risk assessments, compliance dashboards and ongoing monitoring setup, remediation roadmaps with prioritized actions, and knowledge transfer documentation. We also provide regular compliance reports and support for audit requirements.