Archive, Volume 1: conference talks and papers on security and risk, 2010 to 2018. Zola 2015-06-01T00:00:00+00:00 https://blog.itys.net/vol1/tags/it-operations/atom.xml 2015-06-01T00:00:00+00:00 2015-06-01T00:00:00+00:00 Unknown https://blog.itys.net/vol1/posts/taking-control-with-critical-security-controls-csooutlook/ <h2 id="summary">Summary</h2> <p>The CSO Outlook article Taking Control of IT Operations through the Critical Security Controls by Matthew J. Harmon explains how embedding the first five of the SANS/CIS 20 Critical Security Controls into everyday IT processes can transform security from a reactive cost center into a proactive, measurable discipline.</p> <h2 id="starting-easy">Starting Easy</h2> <p>First, Harmon shows that many breaches start with unknown or low-priority systems, devices and software not inventoried or patched. Controls 1 (Inventory of Authorized and Unauthorized Devices) and 2 (Inventory of Authorized and Unauthorized Software) create visibility by correlating DHCP, ARP, and DHCP assignments for hardware and using WMIC, RPM/APT, or SCCM to catalog installed applications. This foundational inventory maps assets to owners, enables application whitelisting, and allows organizations to detect unauthorized additions before attackers can pivot.</p> <p>Next, the article tackles Controls 3 through 5: secure configurations, continuous vulnerability assessment and remediation, and malware defenses. Harmon advocates applying vendor and CIS hardening guidelines via Group Policy Objects or configuration-management tools (Puppet, Chef), enforcing a 48-hour patch window for critical flaws through tiered testing and deployment, and layering defenses beyond antivirus, such as host firewalls, DNS filtering (e.g., OpenDNS), and threat-intelligence driven proxies. He concludes by recommending a gap assessment against the remaining controls and a phased implementation roadmap to embed these practices into routine IT operations and gauge their impact over time .</p> <h2 id="presentation">Presentation</h2> <p><a href="/attachments/57174_2015-06-01_Taking_Control_with_Critical_Security_Controls-CSOOutlook.pdf">CSO Outlook: Taking Control of IT Operations Through the Critical Secuity Controls</a></p>