In February 2022, CIS (Center for Internet Security) released the Microsoft Windows Server 2022 Benchmark v1.0.0 that includes 50+ new features, GPOs (Group Policy Objects), capabilities and services. The document offers a comparison between Server 2019 vs. Server 2022 for similarities and differences as well as similarities and differences of Windows 11 vs Windows 10.

The National Security Agency (NSA) and partner cybersecurity authorities recently released an information sheet recommending proper configuration and monitoring of PowerShell, as opposed to removing or disabling PowerShell entirely. PowerShell is a built-in scripting language and a command-line executor developed by Microsoft to provide a better interface for system administrators to simplify and automate administrative tasks.

In March 2022, PCI DSS launched a 4.0 version, which sets the operational and security standards for users. This new version is the replacement for the 3.2.1 variant. The authorities have upgraded the version to enhance security measures and help individuals and businesses handle growing security threats seamlessly. Financial companies have been sending feedback for the inefficient payment systems, due to which the PCI DSS launched a new security version PCI-DSS v4.0.

NIST stands for National Institute of Standards and Technology. NIST was founded in 1901 and is a part of the U.S Department of Commerce. It is one of the oldest physical science laboratories in the US and was formed to remove challenges related to industrial competitiveness.

Some standards, guidelines, and best practices to meet the industrial, public, and federal agencies’ needs in Cybersecurity are developed by NIST. The cybersecurity framework by NIST has an outcome-based approach and this set it to be applied in any sector and on any size of business. There are three basic pillars of the NIST cybersecurity framework, namely; The framework core has five major functions.

In November 2010, the White House came up with the EO or Executive Order 13556. The order helped in establishing a uniform and open program across Defense and Civilian agencies for the management of information requiring dissemination or protection of controls with Government-wide regulations, laws, and policies.

As delivered from the manufacturer, your network systems’ default configurations are often function-oriented rather than security-oriented. Changing the system’s default configuration to a more secure form is what we refer to as system hardening.

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has issued a PDF of a cybersecurity self-assessment tool. The Baldrige Cybersecurity Excellence Builder v1.1 2019 is a self-assessment tool to help organizations better understand the effectiveness of their cybersecurity risk management efforts.

Server security hardening is an essential element for preventing targeted attacks, as outlined in recent researches reported by both Gartner and the NSA. Consistent, continual IT security hardening is your enterprise’s most valuable security control.

The password strength rules that determine whether the newly inserted password is valid or not, are defined by a password policy. A password must comply with these password strength rules to be set for an account. In short, a password policy is a procedure that encourages the users to set strong passwords or at least use passwords that comply with the company’s group policy objectives. You have the option of specifying the below-mentioned standards and rules for a password.