Server Hardening Service

We implement CIS Level 1 and Level 2 benchmarks for your Linux distribution — Ubuntu, Debian, CentOS, Rocky Linux, or AlmaLinux. Each benchmark item is evaluated against your application requirements. Some controls are applied directly; others are adapted to avoid breaking legitimate application behavior. You receive a compliance report showing which controls are applied and why any exceptions were made.

Benchmark compliance is not a one-time event. We run automated CIS scanning on a weekly schedule and remediate any drift. When OS updates introduce new default configurations, our automation re-applies hardening controls automatically. Your security posture stays consistent even as the underlying system evolves.

SSH is locked down with key-only authentication, non-standard ports, connection rate limiting, and IP allowlisting. Root login is disabled. Administrative access goes through named user accounts with sudo privileges and full command logging. We configure PAM modules for password complexity, account lockout, and session timeout policies.

For teams that require it, we implement multi-factor authentication for SSH using TOTP or hardware security keys. Jump hosts and bastion servers provide an additional access control layer, ensuring that production servers are never directly reachable from the internet. Every authentication event is logged and forwarded to your SIEM.

We deploy host-based intrusion detection systems that monitor process execution, network connections, file modifications, and user behavior. AIDE or OSSEC agents track checksums of critical system files and alert immediately if binaries, configuration files, or libraries are modified unexpectedly.

Network-level detection rules identify port scanning, brute-force attempts, lateral movement, and known exploit patterns. Alerts are correlated across your server fleet so coordinated attacks are detected even when individual indicators seem benign. Suspicious activity triggers automatic containment — blocking the source IP, isolating the affected server, and notifying your security team.

All hardening configurations are codified in Ansible playbooks that can be applied to any new server in minutes. When you provision a new instance, hardening is applied automatically as part of the bootstrap process. There is no manual checklist to follow and no chance of forgetting a critical control.

The hardening playbooks are versioned in Git and updated when new vulnerabilities or benchmark revisions are published. Changes go through code review before deployment. You can audit every hardening control, understand its purpose, and track when it was last modified. Security through automation beats security through checklists every time.