Group Policies are part of every Active Directory. Group Policy (GP) is designed to be able to change every system's configurations, from the least to the most privileged layer. Since it is so fundamental in the network management process, it is also very powerful for attackers to use as an attack vector. Therefore, GPO hardening is necessary to ensure that these policies are secure and not easily exploited by attackers, protecting the integrity and security of the entire network.

Best practices for mitigating various attack vectors are changing depending on the environment and server functionality. CIS baselines cover most of the relevant scenarios by addressing the first stage of your Hardening Windows Server project. CIS Benchmarks -What are They and How to Use Them Microsoft has been doing some work related to default security configuration, but there is still a big gap between security best practices (i.e. common benchmarks) and the default Windows configuration.

Access Control Entry (ACE) is data within an access control list detailing the access privileges assigned to an individual user or a collective group of users. In the Access Control Entry system, an identification (ID) distinguishes each ACE and identifies the specific individual or group of subjects. Each access control entry includes: An Access Control List (ACL) is similar to an organized list of rules that determine who can do what.

In many cases, cutting something off is necessary to avoid bigger damage. This is the idea behind controlled infrastructure removal, the elimination of some parts of your cloud infrastructure to contain an attack or remove a potential attack surface. It is an important part of infrastructure-as-code (IaC) management and something organizations need to be familiar with as they secure their cloud environments and the apps they develop.

A buggy rollout or, even worse, a security breach can lead to user frustration, lost trust, and damaged reputation. To keep users happy and your brand protected, you need a robust deployment strategy that balances seamless updates with ironclad security. 32% of customers abandon a brand they love after just one negative interaction. For software teams, this means that every update is a high-stakes moment. Can we ensure both a positive user experience and robust protection during every rollout?