Improving Web Server System Security with Automatic System Hardening

EasyChair Preprint 13118

Abstract

Web server security enhancement through System Hardening is one of the critical and effective measures to protect information systems from attacks or unauthorized access. System Hardening is a process that involves closing potential vulnerabilities, reducing unnecessary functionality, and enhancing the security of the organization's internal systems. The key practices include updating patches and software to the latest versions, disabling unnecessary services, and implementing strict access control management. However, the traditional manual approach to System Hardening can be time-consuming and error-prone due to the numerous guidelines, which may result in system vulnerabilities. This research aims to apply an automated tool to perform System Hardening in order to study its effectiveness in reducing the number of vulnerabilities on web servers. By measuring the performance through vulnerability assessment, this research compared the number of vulnerabilities before and after applying automated System Hardening tools. The results indicate that the automated approach was effective in reducing the number of critical and high-severity vulnerabilities, while also being able to improve the security settings according to the recommended Security Baseline, and required less time compared to the manual process. The significant reduction in the number of vulnerabilities after the improvement serves as clear evidence that the tool is effective in preventing and mitigating the risks of cyber attacks. Furthermore, the automated approach can help reduce the time required for configuration and minimize human errors.

Keyphrases: Automation, Cybersecurity, System Hardening, vulnerability assessment

@booklet{EasyChair:13118,
  author    = {Aphinop Sangsilla and Pongsarun Boonyapakorn},
  title     = {Improving Web Server System Security with Automatic System Hardening},
  howpublished = {EasyChair Preprint 13118},
  year      = {EasyChair, 2024}}