Creating a baseline for Microsoft Windows is actually pretty simple. The following objectives can be used as a checklist for establishing a baseline:
- The operating system installation should be done on a single partition on the disk drive using the NTFS filesystem.
- Install the latest patches and enable Windows Automatic Updates to ensure all vulnerabilities are patched accordingly.
- Enable and Configure Windows Firewall.
- Install and update the antivirus protection.
- Disable any unnecessary services.
A baseline is a point from which future references can be made as a measurement to determine whether a process or system is operating within normal capacity.
The Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer (MBSA) allows systems administrators ...