Microsoft® Windows® Security: Essentials

Hardening a Server

Hardening a server indicates that you’re making changes to the default configuration in order to enhance the system’s security. You can take multiple steps to harden a server. These include the following:

• Reduce the attack surface.
• Keep the operating system up to date.
• Enable firewalls.
• Install and update antivirus software.

The following sections explore these steps in more depth.

Reducing the Attack Surface

You reduce the attack surface of a computer by ensuring that only necessary services and protocols are running or installed on the system. If a protocol isn’t installed on a system, it can’t be attacked.

As an example, consider a web server. It’s primary purpose is to host web pages that users access over the Internet ...