CIS Benchmarks v8

CIS Benchmarks Security Hardening Assessment

CIS Benchmarks are the gold standard for security configuration hardening, referenced by PCI DSS, FedRAMP, HIPAA, and virtually every major security framework. KENSAI automates CIS Benchmark assessment across your entire infrastructure — from Windows servers to Kubernetes clusters — and prioritizes what to fix first.

Run CIS Assessment → See CIS Dashboard

What Are CIS Benchmarks?

The Center for Internet Security (CIS) publishes vendor-agnostic security configuration guidelines developed through consensus with cybersecurity experts worldwide. CIS Benchmarks cover over 100 technologies and define specific, testable configuration recommendations that reduce attack surface.

CIS Benchmarks are organized into two implementation levels:

Level 1: Essential security configurations with minimal operational impact. These are "must do" settings that every organization should implement. Failing Level 1 checks means basic hardening hasn't been applied.
Level 2: More comprehensive security settings for high-security environments. Some Level 2 recommendations may affect functionality or require workflow changes. Recommended for sensitive or regulated systems.

💡 CIS Controls vs CIS Benchmarks: CIS Controls (formerly Critical Security Controls) are high-level best practices — what to do. CIS Benchmarks are prescriptive configuration guidance — how to do it for specific technologies. Both are complementary. KENSAI supports assessment against both.

Key CIS Benchmarks Coverage

Windows Server 2019/2022

Account policies, audit policies, user rights assignments, security options, Windows Firewall, advanced audit policy — 300+ individual checks.

Linux (Ubuntu, RHEL, CentOS, Debian)

Filesystem configuration, software updates, special purpose services, network configuration, logging, access control, system maintenance — 250+ checks per distribution.

Kubernetes (EKS, AKS, GKE)

API server configuration, controller manager, scheduler, etcd, worker nodes, RBAC policies, network policies — critical for cloud-native security.

Docker

Host configuration, daemon configuration, Docker daemon files, container images, container runtime — secures the entire container stack.

AWS / Azure / GCP Foundations

IAM configuration, logging and monitoring, networking, storage — the cloud-specific benchmarks every cloud deployment should pass.

Web Servers (nginx, Apache, IIS)

Server configuration, SSL/TLS settings, HTTP headers, access controls, logging — reduces web server attack surface significantly.

Databases (MySQL, PostgreSQL, MSSQL, MongoDB)

Authentication, access controls, auditing, network configuration, encryption — protects your most valuable data assets.

CIS Benchmark Scores: What Good Looks Like

73%

Average CIS Level 1 compliance score for newly onboarded organizations

Industry average — significant room for improvement on basic hardening

CIS Score Range	Maturity Level	Typical State
90–100%	Excellent	Mature hardening program, continuous monitoring
75–89%	Good	Active hardening effort, some technical debt
50–74%	Fair	Ad hoc hardening, inconsistent configuration management
<50%	Poor	Default configurations prevalent, significant attack surface

CIS Benchmarks and Regulatory Compliance

CIS Benchmarks are referenced in or accepted by virtually every major compliance framework:

Framework	CIS Benchmark Reference
PCI DSS v4.0	Req 2.2: Apply industry-accepted hardening standards (CIS is explicitly listed)
FedRAMP	CM-6: USGCB or CIS benchmarks required for all components
HIPAA	Technical Safeguards — CIS benchmarks satisfy configuration management requirements
SOC 2	CC6.1: Logical access controls — CIS hardening is strong evidence
ISO 27001:2022	Annex A 8.9: Configuration management — CIS benchmarks are accepted implementation
NIST CSF	PR.IP-1: Baseline configuration — CIS benchmarks are the standard

Common CIS Benchmark Failures

Password policies not enforced: Maximum age, complexity, and lockout settings left at defaults
Unnecessary services running: FTP, Telnet, rsh, NFS enabled when not required
Audit logging disabled: System events, logon events, and privilege use not being recorded
World-writable files: Files with excessive permissions allowing any user to modify critical system files
Default accounts active: Guest accounts, default database users not disabled
Outdated TLS configuration: TLS 1.0/1.1 and weak cipher suites still enabled
Missing security headers: HSTS, X-Frame-Options, CSP not configured on web servers
Container running as root: Docker containers executing with root privileges
Kubernetes RBAC too permissive: Default service account permissions not restricted
Cloud storage public access: S3/GCS buckets missing block-public-access settings

How KENSAI Delivers CIS Benchmark Assessments

✓ 100+ Technology Coverage

Assess Windows, Linux, macOS, major databases, web servers, Kubernetes, Docker, and all three major cloud platforms against current CIS benchmarks.

✓ Agentless & Agent-Based

Network-based CIS assessment for quick coverage without agent deployment. Agent-based for deeper OS and application-level checks.

✓ Prioritized Remediation

Not all CIS failures are equal. KENSAI prioritizes findings by exploitability, regulatory impact, and remediation effort to maximize security ROI.

✓ Baseline Drift Detection

Alerts when systems drift from their hardened baseline — critical for detecting unauthorized configuration changes or new systems deployed without hardening.

✓ CIS Score Trending

Track your CIS compliance score over time. Demonstrate continuous improvement for auditors and demonstrate the value of your hardening program.

✓ Compliance Mapping

Every CIS finding maps to the compliance frameworks that reference it — one assessment drives evidence for PCI DSS, FedRAMP, SOC 2, and more simultaneously.

Getting Started with CIS Hardening

Assess current state: Run KENSAI's CIS assessment to establish your baseline score and identify highest-impact gaps
Prioritize by risk: Focus on Level 1 failures first, especially on internet-facing and data-bearing systems
Remediate systematically: Use infrastructure-as-code (Ansible, Chef, Puppet, Terraform) to apply hardening at scale
Validate changes: Re-scan after remediation to confirm configurations took effect
Implement drift detection: Monitor for configuration changes that revert hardening
Repeat regularly: New systems, new benchmarks, and system changes require ongoing assessment

Know Your CIS Benchmark Score Across Your Entire Infrastructure

KENSAI scans your servers, containers, cloud accounts, and databases against current CIS benchmarks — giving you a single score, prioritized findings, and the remediation evidence your compliance programs need.

Run CIS Assessment → Talk to a Hardening Expert