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Cybersecurity vocabulary · Vulnerabilities and Patching

Hardening

Meaning in cybersecurity, with examples

/ˈhɑːrdənɪŋ/nounCommon term

In cybersecurity, hardening means: The process of making a system more secure by removing unnecessary software and services, changing default settings and applying secure configurations.

In Turkish: sıkılaştırma, güvenlik sıkılaştırması

How it is used

The verb is 'harden': you harden a server, a container image or a laptop build. Teams follow hardening guides or benchmarks such as the CIS Benchmarks and check systems against them. A 'hardened image' is a standard, secure template.

Example sentences

  1. Every new Linux server goes through hardening before it reaches production.

  2. The hardening checklist disables SMBv1 and removes default accounts.

Common collocations

  • system hardening
  • harden a server
  • hardening guide
  • CIS Benchmarks
  • hardened image
  • misconfigurationA security weakness caused by settings that are wrong, insecure or left at their defaults, rather than by a bug in the software itself.
  • attack surfaceAll the points where an attacker could try to get into a system or organisation or take data out, such as open ports, web apps, user accounts and suppliers.
  • patchA small update released by a vendor to fix a bug or close a security vulnerability in software, firmware or an operating system.
  • security controlAny safeguard, whether technical, administrative or physical, that reduces a security risk, such as a firewall, a policy, a training course or a locked door.

This word in other fields

The same English word can have a different meaning in another field:

More terms: Vulnerabilities and Patching

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