Understanding and rectifying security misconfigurations is crucial in preventing cybersecurity incidents. Default settings in software and applications often lack optimal security configurations, necessitating attention to industry standards. Regulatory organizations like the Center for Internet Security (CIS), MITRE, Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA), and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) offer guidance.
Industry Standards and Organizations: Various frameworks and regulations, including CIS Controls, MITRE’s ATT&CK framework, DISA STIGs, and NIST SP 800-53, provide secure configuration guidance. These resources emphasize critical security controls, benchmarks, and privacy controls for information systems.
Top Cybersecurity Misconfigurations: The National Security Agency (NSA) and Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) highlight the ten most prevalent cybersecurity misconfigurations. These include default configurations, improper user/administrator privilege separation, insufficient internal network monitoring, lack of network segmentation, poor patch management, bypass of system access controls, weak/misconfigured multifactor authentication (MFA), insufficient access control lists (ACLs), poor credential hygiene, and unrestricted code execution.
Tools to Prepare: To address and prevent security misconfigurations, organizations can leverage industry benchmarks, standards, and policies. Awareness of official documentation, training courses, and vendor webinars is essential. Understanding available resources, including people, budget, and tools, aids in finding a balance tailored to each organization’s needs.
Conclusion: Security misconfigurations remain common vulnerabilities exploited by malicious actors. Lack of awareness and understanding of associated risks often leads to improper security settings, resulting in malware, ransomware, data breaches, and other security incidents. Implementing solutions like Fortra’s Security Configuration Management (SCM) tool, Tripwire Enterprise, involves asset discovery, baselining, change management, policy enforcement, and reporting to minimize misconfigurations, prevent attacks, and maintain compliance.
