TL;DR: Simplifying Essential Features for Compliance The Goal: Restrict and disable nonessential programs, ports, protocols, functions, and services to reduce your system’s attack surface and improve security. Challenges: Documentation—not implementation—is where most companies fall short. You must define “essential” clearly and apply it consistently. What to Do: • Inventory: Identify everything running on your systems....
The Configuration Management (CM) domain in NIST SP 800-171 requires organizations to create and maintain baseline configurations and inventories for all their systems that includes hardware, software, firmware, and documentation. Think of baseline configurations like a snapshot, capturing the ideal system setup. Documenting a system’s desired state and practicing effective configuration and change management are crucial...
