What Is Hardening?

Hardening a computer system is like many tiny things—it's not about your method but the degree to which you're willing to go. When you think about it, hardening is just another way of saying "protection." Protection comes in layers—the more layers between you and whatever's trying to hurt you, the better off you'll be. It's kind of like wearing two bulletproof vests at the same time as wearing a bulletproof vest over a bulletproof vest: If someone takes a shot at you from the front and misses, the first vest should stop the bullet and prevent it from reaching your skin. You don't want anyone to see your back unless they take a shot at you from behind, so please be careful. The point is this: sometimes, it pays off to take multiple approaches to protect yourself when hardening a system. The more layers of defense in depth (or "hardening") that can be built into an application or operating system, the safer it will be for users who rely on that software for their business or personal needs. Hardening is a process that makes your computer system stronger. It's not just about building walls around your business, though—it's also about building walls around your computers so hackers do not easily infiltrate them. You can harden your computer system by adding firewalls, encrypting data, and using antivirus software. In cybersecurity, hardening reduces the risks and threats to a computer system. This is done by eliminating unnecessary software and services, reducing the number of users with administrative privileges, and installing security patches. Hardening can include changing default passwords or adding additional layers of protection like firewalls or antivirus programs. Hardening ensures your system is secure enough to protect itself from outside threats!