Practical System Defense for Everyday Environments

Securing an operating system is one of the most fundamental — yet often overlooked — aspects of cybersecurity. In this project, I implemented a Windows 10 hardening plan designed to minimize vulnerabilities, enforce security policies, and establish baseline protection for endpoint systems.

This process followed best practices aligned with CIS Benchmarks and NIST recommendations.

Objective

To configure and secure a Windows 10 workstation by applying layered protection through account management, system configuration, and network settings.

Step 1: User Accounts and Access Control

  • Created standard user accounts for daily use, reserving the Administrator account for system maintenance only.
  • Enabled User Account Control (UAC) to require admin approval for sensitive actions.
  • Set strong password and lockout policies through the Local Security Policy console.

This ensured least-privilege access and reduced the risk of privilege escalation attacks.

Step 2: System Updates and Patching

  • Enabled automatic Windows Updates for OS and driver security patches.
  • Verified all third-party software was updated using Patch My PC.

Routine patching remains one of the simplest and most effective defenses against common exploits.

Step 3: Network and Firewall Configuration

  • Enabled the Windows Defender Firewall for all profiles (Domain, Private, Public).
  • Configured inbound/outbound rules to limit unnecessary traffic.
  • Disabled SMBv1 and older insecure protocols.

By tightening communication paths, the system was significantly less exposed to lateral movement within networks.

Step 4: Enabling Security Features

  • Activated BitLocker for full-disk encryption.
  • Turned on Windows Defender Antivirus and SmartScreen.
  • Enabled Controlled Folder Access to protect critical directories from ransomware encryption.

These configurations provided a strong baseline for confidentiality and integrity protection.

Step 5: Verification and Documentation

After implementing the changes, I used PowerShell commands such as:

Get-NetFirewallProfile

Get-BitLockerVolume

Get-ComputerInfo | Select-Object OS, CsName, WindowsProductName

to verify and document system configuration details.

All steps and results were recorded for reproducibility and compliance demonstration.

Key Takeaway

System hardening isn't a one-time task — it's a proactive discipline. Regular updates, least-privilege principles, and layered defenses form the core of every secure IT environment.

Skill Tags: System Hardening, Windows Security, Access Control, Encryption, Endpoint Defense, Policy Management