A new laptop has too many open doors
A laptop arrives from the shop. It has trial software, a spare account and many services switched on. Each one is a door an attacker could try.
Before the laptop goes to a user, you close the doors it does not need. Then you watch it from a distance.
By the end of this lesson
Note
I can say what device hardening is and what remote monitoring and management does.
Key words
| Word | What it means |
|---|---|
| Device hardening | making a device harder to attack by removing what it does not need |
| Port | a numbered door on a device that a service listens at |
| Function | a job a device or program can do, such as sharing files |
| Malware | harmful software |
| Permission | the right to read, change or run something |
| RMM | remote monitoring and management: software that lets IT watch and fix devices from a distance |
| End user device | the laptop, tablet or phone a person uses |
| Agent | a small program on a device that reports to the RMM tool |
| Alert | a message that says something needs attention |
The cells students fill in are left blank in this preview.
Starter
Have a go
Starter
3 questionsYour answers are marked here and are not kept. A college account keeps every student’s marks.
Device hardening: close what is not needed
Hardening means removing what a device does not need. The spec lists seven things.
Unneeded programs. Unneeded accounts. Unneeded functions. Unneeded applications. Unneeded ports. Extra permissions. Extra access.
Hardening a new laptop
| Remove or limit | Example | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Programs and applications | Trial software and games | Each program may have weak points |
| Accounts | The built-in guest account | Nobody watches an account nobody uses |
| Functions | A service that shares files from the laptop | The user never needs it |
| Ports | Remote login left open | An open port is a door to try |
| Permissions and access | A user who is an administrator by default | A mistake or malware can then change anything |
The cells students fill in are left blank in this preview.
RMM: watching from a distance
RMM software puts a small agent on each end user device. The agent reports to a central tool.
IT can then see free disk space, missing updates and warnings for every device. They can send updates and fix problems without visiting the desk.