What are CIS Benchmarks?

CIS Benchmarks are globally recognized standards for securing IT systems and data. Developed by the Center for Internet Security (CIS), these benchmarks provide prescriptive guidance for configuring IT systems to achieve higher security levels.

Covering a broad range of technologies (25+ vendor product families) including operating systems, cloud environments, software applications, and network devices, CIS Benchmarks aim to reduce the attack surface of IT systems and mitigate cybersecurity risks.

CIS Benchmarks are developed through a consensus-based process involving cybersecurity experts from various industries, government, and academia. This collaborative approach ensures the benchmarks are practical and effective.

Each CIS Benchmark consists of specific configuration recommendations that address different security aspects, such as user account settings, password policies, network configurations, and software updates. These detailed and prescriptive recommendations allow IT administrators to implement them systematically across their environments.

The benchmarks are organized into distinct categories or levels, typically known as Level 1 and Level 2:

• Level 1: Provides basic security measures suitable for most organizations, focusing on essential controls that can be implemented without impacting system performance or usability.

• Level 2: Offers more stringent measures and is intended for environments where security is critical. Level 2 recommendations require more technical expertise and may impact system performance, but offer more robust protection.

CIS Benchmarks help organizations strengthen their IT systems against cyber threats by providing a structured approach to establishing security best practices.

Developed through a collaborative process involving a wide range of experts, CIS Benchmarks reflect a broad consensus on effective security practices. This consensus gives organizations confidence they're following best practices.

While detailed, CIS Benchmarks also allow customization to meet different organizations' needs. This flexibility makes it easier for organizations to implement the benchmarks in a way that aligns with their unique security requirements.

A large community of cybersecurity professionals contribute to CIS Benchmarks’ ongoing development and improvement, ensuring they remain up to date with the latest threats and technologies.

While Level 1 benchmarks are generally straightforward to implement, Level 2 recommendations can be complex and may require significant technical expertise, which may be challenging for smaller organizations with limited resources.

Some more stringent recommendations in Level 2 benchmarks can impact system performance. Organizations must carefully weigh the benefits of enhanced security against the potential downsides of reduced system efficiency.

While flexible, customizing the benchmarks can be time-consuming and require specialized knowledge. Organizations must ensure customizations don't inadvertently weaken their security posture.

CIS Benchmarks are widely used across industries and sectors, including government, health care, finance, and education. Common use cases include the following:

As organizations migrate to cloud environments, CIS Benchmarks provide a valuable framework for securing cloud infrastructure and services. AWS and Microsoft Azure offer CIS Benchmark-compliant configurations organizations can use to secure cloud deployments. Other major cloud providers also provide CIS Benchmark-compliant architectures.

CIS Benchmarks are frequently used to secure endpoints such as desktops, laptops, and mobile devices. Following the benchmarks can help organizations protect endpoints from common threats including malware and unauthorized access.

CIS Benchmarks provide detailed guidance on securing various servers, including webservers, database servers, and file servers. These benchmarks help organizations ensure their servers are configured securely and protected against known vulnerabilities.

Organizations often use CIS Benchmarks as a basis for internal and external compliance audits. By adhering to these benchmarks, they can show auditors implementation of robust security controls.

As DevOps practices become more prevalent, CIS Benchmarks are increasingly being integrated into development pipelines to ensure security is baked into the development process from the outset. This approach helps organizations build secure software and identify security flaws earlier in the development cycle.

With the rise of AI and modern container applications, CIS Benchmarks are also used to ensure container security by providing guidelines to secure containerized environments.

Containers, by design, isolate applications from the underlying infrastructure, but they can still be vulnerable if not correctly configured. CIS Benchmarks for Kubernetes and Docker offer specific recommendations for securing container runtimes and orchestration platforms. These include guidelines for access control, network configurations, logging, and image integrity, which help reduce the attack surface and ensure containers run in a secure, compliant environment.

Incorporating CIS Benchmarks into container security strategies helps organizations manage risks associated with containerized applications and improve their overall security posture.

Ensure containers are securely configured, minimizing vulnerabilities that could be exploited.

Implement security best practices for Kubernetes or other orchestration tools to maintain containerized applications' integrity and availability.

Verify the integrity of container images and enforce security policies throughout the container lifecycle.

Continuously monitor container environments for compliance with CIS Benchmarks, promptly addressing deviations.

CIS Benchmarks are regularly updated to reflect the latest cybersecurity threats and technological advancements. Organizations should stay up to date with these updates to maintain an effective security posture.

Various tools are available to help organizations automate the implementation and assessment of CIS Benchmarks. For example, CIS-CAT (CIS Configuration Assessment Tool) is a popular offering that assesses systems against CIS Benchmarks, providing detailed reports on compliance status and remediation steps.

Today, organizations worldwide recognize and adopt CIS Benchmarks. Their international reach ensures they're relevant and applicable across different regulatory environments and industry sectors.

Additionally, CIS offers training and resources to help organizations implement and maintain CIS Benchmarks. These resources include online courses, webinars, and detailed documentation, making it easier for organizations to adopt the benchmarks.

CIS Benchmarks are crucial in helping organizations secure their IT environments by providing clear, consensus-based guidance on best practices for system configuration. Dynatrace works closely with software intelligence and data security controls and offers advanced monitoring and automation capabilities that align with CIS Benchmarks.

Continuous monitoring enables users to track system configurations in real time to ensure adherence to CIS Benchmarks. Meanwhile, drift detection automatically detects and flags deviations from CIS Benchmark standards.

In addition, compliance posture management with pre-built policies for CIS Benchmarks saves time and reduces complexity when maintaining continuous compliance with these and other standards.

Automated remediation enables automated responses to correct configuration issues, ensuring ongoing compliance, while enhanced security provides actionable insights to prevent potential security breaches before they occur. This integration ensures organizations maintain compliance and secure their IT environments efficiently.

While CIS Benchmarks offer significant benefits, including enhanced security and compliance, they also present challenges related to implementation complexity and performance impact. By understanding these factors and leveraging available tools and resources, organizations can effectively use CIS Benchmarks to protect their systems and data against evolving cyber threats.

For more insight around strengthening continuous application security postures and attack protection, explore Dynatrace Application Security.