Secure Configuration Review Checklist

Misconfigured systems are one of the leading causes of security breaches. This secure configuration review checklist provides baseline security standards and hardening guidance for common infrastructure components — helping you eliminate configuration-based vulnerabilities.

Misconfigurations account for over 80% of cloud security incidents and are regularly ranked in the OWASP Top 10 as a critical vulnerability category. Default credentials, open ports, overly permissive IAM roles, unencrypted storage buckets, and missing security headers are among the most common — and easily preventable — security issues found in security audits. This checklist aligns with CIS Benchmarks and NIST SP 800-123 guidance, covering everything from OS-level hardening to cloud-native security controls. Use it as a self-assessment, audit preparation tool, or baseline specification for your infrastructure team.

What's inside:

• Windows and Linux server hardening checklist
• Cloud security configuration (AWS, Azure, GCP)
• Network device configuration standards (firewalls, routers, switches)
• Database security configuration guidelines
• Web server and application server hardening
• Container and Kubernetes security baselines
• CIS Benchmark alignment guide