Network Hardening

Lock down your environment with zero‑trust segmentation, least‑privilege access, secure device baselines, and enterprise‑grade visibility. Cut attack paths. Reduce blast radius. Prove compliance.

Harden My Network

Overview

We design and implement pragmatic, standards‑aligned hardening that withstands real adversaries. From branch offices to hybrid cloud, we combine secure configurations with measurable controls: segmentation, identity‑aware access, modern crypto, and continuous telemetry.

Mapped to NIST CSF / 800‑53, CIS Controls, CIS Benchmarks, and (as needed) DISA STIGs.
Architected for Zero Trust principles: never trust, always verify, assume breach.
Validated with configuration audits, attack‑path testing, and policy simulations.

What We Harden

Perimeter & Segmentation

Firewalls, micro‑segmentation, inter‑VLAN policies, east‑west controls, secure remote access (VPN/ZTNA).

Servers & OS

Baseline configs, service minimization, secure protocols (TLS1.2/1.3), SSH hardening, SMB signing, RDP guardrails.

Endpoint & Mobile

EDR/XDR, disk encryption, device posture, secure Wi‑Fi profiles, MDM baselines, attack surface reduction.

Identity & Access

MFA, SSO, PAM, conditional access, least‑privilege RBAC, service account governance, strong passwordless options.

Wireless & Edge/IoT

WPA3‑Enterprise, 802.1X/NAC, device isolation, guest segmentation, rogue AP detection, IoT allow‑listing.

Cloud & Hybrid

VPC/VNet design, private endpoints, security groups/NSGs, transit gateways, policy‑as‑code guardrails.

Our Hardening Method

Discovery & Threat Modeling — Critical assets, business flows, attacker goals, and constraints.
Baseline & Gap Analysis — Compare current configs to CIS Benchmarks / organizational standards.
Architecture & Policy Design — Zero‑trust segmentation, egress/ingress policies, identity controls.
Implementation — Controlled change windows, IaC/automation (e.g., Ansible), peer‑reviewed changes.
Validation — Config audits, packet captures, rule simulations, vulnerability & exposure checks.
Handover — Clean documentation, rollback plans, and operations playbooks.
Continuous Improvement — Metrics (KRIs/KPIs), tuning, and periodic revalidation.

Prefer an ongoing partner? We offer retainer‑based reviews and change governance that keep drift in check.

Controls We Implement

Access & Segmentation

Layered network zones (user, server, management, DMZ)
Micro‑segmentation & policy‑based access (app/service identity)
Firewall least‑privilege rulesets, egress filtering, geo/IP reputation
NAC / 802.1X with device posture & VLAN assignments

Secure Protocols & Crypto

TLS 1.2/1.3, strong ciphers, HSTS, perfect forward secrecy
SSH hardening, key management, disable legacy cipher suites
SMB signing, LDAP over TLS, secure DNS (DNSSEC/DoT/DoH where appropriate)
IPsec where needed for site‑to‑site or host‑to‑host protection

Visibility & Threat Detection

Centralized logging (Syslog/CEF/JSON) with SIEM integration
IDS/IPS/WAF policies, DLP at chokepoints, DNS sinkholing
EDR/XDR deployment & tuning, high‑fidelity alerting
NTP/time sync & tamper‑resistant audit trails

Switching & Wireless Hygiene

DHCP Snooping, IP Source Guard, Dynamic ARP Inspection
Port‑security, BPDU Guard, Storm Control, Private VLANs
WPA3‑Enterprise, MFP/PMF, band‑steering, rogue AP detection
Separate guest/IoT SSIDs with strict egress controls

Ops, Patch & Continuity

Vulnerability management cadence & SLAs
Automated patch windows & maintenance runbooks
Backup/restore strategy (3‑2‑1), encrypted offsite copies
Documented rollback plans for every change

Policy & Governance

Standardized baselines per asset class (CIS/STIG‑informed)
RACI for change approval, emergency change procedures
Exception handling with risk acceptance trail
Periodic access review & control attestation

Compliance Mapping

Control objectives and evidence mapped to your target frameworks:

NIST CSF / 800‑53 / 800‑171
CIS Controls & CIS Benchmarks
ISO/IEC 27001 Annex A controls
SOC 2 (Security/Availability/Confidentiality)
HIPAA / PCI DSS (as applicable to scope)

What You Receive

Architecture & Policy Pack

Segmentation diagrams & data‑flow maps
Firewall ruleset workbook & egress policy
Zero‑trust access policy & identity guardrails
Baseline configuration standards by asset class

Operational Runbooks

Change steps, validation checks, and rollback plans
SIEM/alert catalog with suppression/tuning guidance
Patching & vulnerability management schedule
Metrics dashboard (KRIs/KPIs) and review cadence

30‑Day Quick Wins

Block legacy protocols, enforce TLS1.2/1.3, harden SSH & RDP
Implement MFA everywhere feasible; step‑up policies for risky access
Establish egress filtering & DNS security with sinkhole for known bads
Turn on DHCP Snooping, IP Source Guard, and DAI on access switches
Centralize logs to SIEM; create high‑signal detections first

Get a Hardening Plan

Why Black Trace Labs

Offense‑informed defense (CEH, 8+ years hands‑on, red‑team aware designs).
25+ years engineering — we balance security with delivery and uptime.
Audit‑ready documentation mapped to frameworks and evidence needs.
U.S. owned & operated in Fort Worth, Texas — clear communication, no offshoring.

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