Security benchmarks for Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008
The Center for Internet Security (CIS) released its consensus security benchmarks for Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008. The free benchmarks provide prescriptive controls guides for securely configuring these widely used operating systems that power both personal computers and business systems.
Windows 7 has acquired approximately 10 percent of the desktop market share to date. Microsoft has reported that over 140 million licenses have been distributed. Windows Server 2008 is the Microsoft operating system most extensively used by enterprises for their IT services and business systems.
The CIS benchmarks for Microsoft Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 provide recommendations in 13 security categories including:
- Account Policies
- Audit Policy
- Detailed Audit Policy
- Event Log
- Windows Firewall
- Windows Update
- User Account Control (UAC)
- User Rights
- Security Options
- Terminal Services
- Internet Communication
- Additional Security Settings
- User Policies.