Which of the following is the PRIMARY benefit of implementing policies and procedures for system hardening?

Which of the following is the PRIMARY benefit of implementing policies and procedures for system hardening?
A . It increases system resiliency.
B . It reduces external threats to data.
C . It reduces exposure of data.
D . It eliminates attack motivation for data.

View Answer

Answer: A

Explanation:

System hardening is a process of applying security measures and configurations to a system to reduce its attack surface and enhance its resistance to threats. System hardening can include disabling unnecessary services, removing default accounts, applying patches and updates, enforcing strong passwords and encryption, and implementing firewalls and antivirus software. The primary benefit of system hardening is that it increases system resiliency, which is the ability of a system to withstand or recover from adverse events that could affect its functionality or performance. The other options are not the primary benefits of system hardening, although they may be secondary benefits or outcomes. System hardening does not necessarily reduce external threats to data, as threats can originate from various sources and vectors. System hardening may reduce exposure of data, but only if the data is stored or processed by the system. System hardening does not eliminate attack motivation for data, as attackers may have different motives and incentives for targeting data. , p. 91-92

Reference: CDPSE Review Manual (Digital Version)