IT Systems Hardening
Hardening Legacy Systems in a Financial Institution
Client: A mid-sized bank with a mix of legacy and modern infrastructure across its core banking system.
Challenge:
Repeated internal audits revealed vulnerabilities in legacy servers and misconfigured databases. Despite updated firewalls, unauthorized access attempts were increasing. Patch management was inconsistent across operating systems.
Our Approach:
We began with a baseline hardening audit of Windows, Linux, and application servers using CIS Benchmarks. We evaluated current configurations, user privileges, registry settings, and service dependencies. This was followed by a gap report and prioritization plan
Solution:
We developed tailored hardening guides for each system category, automated configuration enforcement via scripts and GPOs, and implemented centralized logging and anomaly detection. We also trained the IT staff on secure baseline maintenance.
Outcome:
The number of critical vulnerabilities dropped by 90% within 45 days. System stability improved, patch deployment was streamlined, and external auditors commended the enhanced security posture. The bank’s board approved an annual system hardening review as part of ongoing IT governance.