From the course: IT Security Foundations: Operating System Security

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Hardening the OS

Hardening the OS

- [Instructor] Threats are all around us and come from a number of different sources, hackers, phishing, malware, an administrator that doesn't monitor the systems for signs of intrusion, or even a disgruntled employee. Hardening an operating system minimizes exposure to threats and involves several steps, along with some good practice techniques. Let's talk about a few good practice techniques. You'll want to use antivirus and antispyware protection and schedule daily automatic definition updates and scans, use a firewall to provide a first line of defense, use strong passwords or passphrases for all user accounts, and lock the computer when you step away. Email is the number one way to gain access to a system. To diminish this threat, do not open suspicious email attachments or respond to requests from unknown senders. New vulnerabilities are discovered every day. In fact, many malicious actors actively seek ways to…

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