Strengthen Your Defenses: Harden Systems to Prevent Lateral Movement

Threat actors constantly look for opportunities to infiltrate organizations, exploiting vulnerabilities ranging from unpatched firmware to weak passwords and misconfigured devices. Once inside, these cybercriminals lurk, assessing systems and seeking avenues for lateral movement to maximize their impact. But what exactly is system hardening, how does lateral movement work, and how can you combat these threats? We’ll take a closer look at system hardening and explore strategies to prevent lateral movement. Along the way, we will equip you with the knowledge and best practices necessary to safeguard your digital assets against today's relentless cyber threats.

What is system hardening?

System hardening identifies the potential security vulnerabilities that exist in your system and makes them hack-proof by reducing the attack surface. It’s a set of tools and methodologies that removes non-essential services and minimizes the security risks to your systems as much as possible. By hardening your systems, you leave bad actors with fewer options to initiate cyberattacks and fewer places to move laterally in the system if they gain access.

Definition of lateral movement

Lateral movement refers to a group of methods cyber criminals use to explore an infected network, find vulnerabilities, escalate access privileges, and reach their ultimate target. “Lateral” describes the way the hacker can move sideways in a system, from a device to an application for example.

Preventing lateral movement

Ideally, you want a security posture that prevents intrusion. While that may not always be possible, there are ways to reduce the likelihood of an attack and prevent any subsequent lateral movement. Here are some best practices for system hardening and preventing lateral movement.

• Install software updates and system patches regularly. All operating systems, software, services, and endpoints should be kept up to date and patches should be applied regularly. 
• Update endpoint security solutions. Endpoints are most vulnerable to unauthorized access, so tools to monitor and secure them are important. Cybercriminals often do not care which device gets them in, as long as they can move laterally after gaining access, so no endpoint should be left vulnerable.
• Enforce the principle of least privilege. Ensure that users only have access to what they need to perform their assigned tasks. 
• Use multi-factor authentication (MFA). MFA adds layers of security to user logins, so that even if a user's credentials are compromised, access is not granted unless each layer of security is satisfied with the identity of the person requesting access.
• Have a strong password policy. Having a strong password policy and utilizing a password manager can help limit your organization’s exposure to brute force and phishing attacks. If the bad guys can’t get in, they can’t move laterally to other systems.
• Implement network segmentation. Segmentation or micro-segmentation ensures that sensitive parts of the network are isolated, without pathways for lateral movement, strategically positioned in relation to the rest of the system for secure, privileged access.
• Backup critical data. Having data backups reduces the threat of ransomware, and it means that even in the event of a system compromise, data can be fully restored.
• Implement zero-trust security. Because a zero-trust solution assumes every user is a threat until proven otherwise, it makes lateral movement very difficult.
• Use industry-approved guides. Evaluate your system hardening assessments against resources provided by organizations like the Center for Internet Security (CIS) to help you develop best practices for your organization.
  
  

The benefits of system hardening and preventing lateral movement

Preventing lateral movement by cybercriminals requires a proactive and multi-layered approach to cybersecurity. Hardening systems is a continuous effort, but it provides substantial benefits for your business.

A higher level of security

By hardening systems, you reduce the potential attack surface and strengthen defenses against various threats, such as malware, unauthorized access, and data breaches. This helps safeguard sensitive information and ensure data privacy.

Better system performance

Hardening best practices often involve optimizing system resources, removing unnecessary software, and applying security patches and updates. These actions can lead to improved system performance, as fewer resources are wasted on unused or vulnerable components.

Enhanced compliance

Many industries and organizations have specific security standards and regulations that must be followed to protect sensitive data. System hardening helps meet these requirements and ensures compliance with industry-specific standards, such as the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) or the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).

Simplified monitoring and auditing

System hardening techniques can help turn a complex environment into a simpler one with stable, predictable configuration. This translates into a more straightforward and transparent environment which is simpler to monitor and audit.

Better business continuity

By hardening systems, you reduce the likelihood of system disruptions, downtime, and financial losses resulting from successful cyber-attacks. It allows your business to maintain continuity, provide uninterrupted services, and protect its reputation.

Final thoughts on system hardening

Implementing robust security measures can significantly reduce the risk of unauthorized access, lateral movement, and data breaches. By prioritizing cybersecurity and investing in the right tools and practices, businesses can effectively harden their systems and protect their valuable assets from malicious actors.

System hardening is part of Locknet’s approach to a comprehensive managed IT and cybersecurity strategy. Let’s talk about how we can improve the security posture of your organization.