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Hardening Guide

What is Hardening Guide?

A detailed document providing step-by-step instructions for configuring a specific system or application to meet security requirements.

Information Security

Each of these is named in at least one of the same controls as hardening guide. The number is how many controls name both.

What the standards actually require on hardening guide

Requirements naming hardening guide across 5 standards, quoted from the control text.

Secure configuration guidance, in the form of a hardening guide or loosening guide, is produced and made available to consumers as part of software development.

ISM-1798 · Secure configuration guidance, in the form of a hardening guide or loosening guide, is pro

Aim to make hardening guides shorter over time by moving controls into secure defaults.

SBD-19 · Reduce Hardening Guide Length

UR E27 requires equipment manufacturers to deliver hardened CBS with secure default configuration + secure communications. Hardening: minimum services + disabled debug + locked BIOS + secure boot + Trusted Platform Module (TPM) or equivalent root of trust + si...

IACS-UR-E27-Equipment-Hardening-SecureConfig-Communications · IACS UR E27 - Equipment Hardening + Secure Configuration + Secure Communications + Cryptography
IEEE 16861 control

Section 6 establishes IED Security Documentation requirements + Appendix A Compliance Table format. Per public IEEE 1686 abstract + vendor capability statements (full IEEE text NOT reproduced): Section 6 IED Security Documentation - vendor-provided documentati...

IEEE1686-SupplyChain-Documentation-Procurement-ComplianceTable-Physical · IEEE 1686 Section 6 IED Security Documentation + Supply Chain + Procurement Specification + Appendix A Compliance Table + Physical and Tamper
ISMAP (Japan)1 control

ISMAP Cloud Infrastructure controls cover the underlying compute + network + storage + management plane. (1) Virtual Network Segmentation: VPC Virtual Private Cloud isolation + subnets + security groups + NACLs + microsegmentation + service mesh (Istio + Linke...

ISMAP-CloudInfrastructure-NetworkSegmentation-Container-Serverless-WorkloadProtection-Hardening-ConfigManagement · ISMAP Cloud Infrastructure - VPC Network Segmentation + Container/Serverless Security + Cloud Workload Protection (CWPP) + Image/Template Hardening + CIS Benchmarks + Configuration Management + IaC

Questions people ask about hardening guide

What is Hardening Guide?
A detailed document providing step-by-step instructions for configuring a specific system or application to meet security requirements.
Why is Hardening Guide important for compliance?
Hardening Guide is a key concept in Information Security. Understanding hardening guide helps organizations meet regulatory requirements, reduce risk, and demonstrate due diligence during audits. Our compliance platform maps 686 frameworks with 311K cross-framework control mappings.
Which compliance frameworks address Hardening Guide?
Hardening Guide appears in the requirement text of Australian Information Security Manual, Secure by Design: A Guide for Manufacturers (CISA), IACS Unified Requirements E26/E27 - Cyber Resilience of Ships and On-Board Systems, IEEE 1686, ISMAP (Japan). Across these standards we have identified 6 controls that name it directly, each linked to the control text on the compliance platform.
Where can I learn more about Hardening Guide?
Explore our compliance framework pages to see how hardening guide applies across different standards and regulations. Our implementation guides provide step-by-step guidance, and the compliance platform offers AI-powered analysis of how this concept maps across 686 frameworks.

See how Hardening Guide applies across compliance frameworks

Our platform maps 686 frameworks with 311K cross-framework control mappings. Explore how this concept is addressed across standards.

Written and maintained by Gerard Blokdyk, The Art of Service.