A tailored course, built for your situation
Mastering CIS Controls for Software Engineers in High-Precision Systems
Build compliant, resilient architectures with confidence and clarity
$199 one-time
24-hour access provisioning
30-day money-back guarantee
Hand-built implementation playbook
12 modules. 12 chapters per module. 144 chapters total.
12 modules, each with 12 chapters (144 chapters total), text-based, plus downloadable templates and a hand-built implementation playbook delivered alongside course access.
Overworked engineers defaulting to compliance as an afterthought
The situation this course is for
Compliance feels reactive, tacked on late, driven by auditors, slowing delivery. Engineers inherit checklists without context, leading to patchwork fixes and rework.
Who this is for
Software Engineers in regulated, precision-driven environments who must embed security and compliance into system design without sacrificing velocity.
Who this is not for
Entry-level coders, auditors, or non-technical compliance staff looking for policy templates.
What you walk away with
- Map CIS Controls directly to architectural decisions in real systems
- Automate control evidence collection in continuous integration pipelines
- Lead vendor security reviews using control-specific evaluation criteria
- Anticipate auditor questions and prepare artefacts proactively
- Own the compliance narrative from design through deployment
The 12 modules (with all 144 chapters)
Module 1. Introducing the CIS Controls Framework
Understand the structure, priority, and real-world application of CIS Controls in software-intensive environments. Learn how they align with NIST, ISO 27001, and internal risk thresholds.
12 chapters in this module
- What CIS Controls are and why they matter
- The difference between implementation and compliance
- How controls map to system architecture layers
- The role of software engineers in control ownership
- Prioritizing controls by operational impact
- Control families and their engineering implications
- From policy to artifact: closing the loop
- Common misalignments in tech-first orgs
- Evidence types by control tier
- Automation readiness by control
- Vetting third-party tools against CIS benchmarks
- Integrating controls into sprint planning
Module 2. CIS Control 1: Inventory and Control of Hardware Assets
Ensure every device in your ecosystem is known, authorized, and secure. Learn how software engineers can enforce hardware inventory through provisioning systems.
12 chapters in this module
- Defining hardware inventory scope
- Integrating asset discovery with deployment pipelines
- Automated hardware fingerprinting
- Managing virtual and cloud instances
- Tracking mobile and remote devices
- Enforcing hardware entitlement policies
- Using configuration management databases
- Handling decommissioned assets
- Hardware inventory audit trails
- Role-based access to asset data
- Alerting on unauthorized hardware
- Building self-updating hardware registries
Module 3. CIS Control 2: Inventory and Control of Software Assets
Maintain complete visibility into all software deployed across environments, enabling engineers to act on vulnerabilities before they’re exploited.
12 chapters in this module
- Defining software inventory scope
- Automated software discovery techniques
- Software approval and whitelisting
- Managing open-source dependencies
- Detecting unauthorized software
- Software lifecycle tracking
- Integration with CI/CD pipelines
- Version control for software assets
- Patch compliance monitoring
- Software inventory reporting
- Enforcing software policies
- Audit-ready software logs
Module 4. CIS Control 3: Continuous Vulnerability Management
Implement proactive, automated vulnerability detection and remediation workflows that integrate directly into engineering pipelines.
12 chapters in this module
- Scheduling regular vulnerability scans
- Prioritizing vulnerabilities by exploitability
- Integrating scanners into CI/CD
- Automated ticketing for patching
- Using CVSS and EPSS scores
- Managing false positives
- Tracking remediation timelines
- Vulnerability reporting for leadership
- Zero-day response coordination
- Patch testing strategies
- Vendor vulnerability disclosure
- Dynamic vs static analysis tools
Module 5. CIS Control 4: Controlled Use of Administrative Privileges
Secure admin access through automation, just-in-time provisioning, and real-time monitoring, engineered for least privilege at scale.
12 chapters in this module
- Identifying admin accounts
- Just-in-time privilege elevation
- Multi-factor authentication enforcement
- Session monitoring for privileged access
- Role-based access control design
- Time-bound admin rights
- Break-glass account policies
- Privilege auditing
- Detecting credential misuse
- Automated de-escalation
- Integration with identity providers
- Emergency access workflows
Module 6. CIS Control 5: Secure Configuration for Hardware and Software
Establish and enforce secure baselines across systems using code-driven configuration management.
12 chapters in this module
- Defining secure configuration policies
- Using CIS Benchmarks effectively
- Automated configuration enforcement
- Hardening operating systems
- Secure application defaults
- Configuration drift detection
- Golden image management
- Patch management integration
- Compliance scoring
- Drift remediation workflows
- Audit-ready configuration reports
- Version-controlled baselines
Module 7. CIS Control 6: Maintenance, Monitoring, and Analysis of Audit Logs
Engineer systems that generate actionable logs and integrate them into security monitoring workflows.
12 chapters in this module
- Log sources and collection methods
- Ensuring log integrity
- Centralized log management
- Retention policies by control
- Real-time alerting on anomalies
- Log analysis techniques
- Automated response to log events
- Correlating logs across systems
- Detecting lateral movement
- Audit log compliance checks
- Log access controls
- Exporting logs for auditors
Module 8. CIS Control 7: Email and Web Browser Protections
Implement engineering controls to reduce attack surface in endpoint applications commonly targeted by adversaries.
12 chapters in this module
- Hardening browser configurations
- Blocking malicious domains
- Phishing-resistant email settings
- Content filtering strategies
- Sandboxing untrusted content
- SSL/TLS enforcement
- Monitoring for beaconing
- User behavior analytics integration
- Browser extension control
- Click tracking and redirection logs
- Secure default search engines
- Email header analysis automation
Module 9. CIS Control 8: Malware Defenses
Integrate layered anti-malware protections into development and deployment pipelines.
12 chapters in this module
- Deploying endpoint protection tools
- Whitelisting trusted binaries
- Behavioral detection techniques
- Sandboxing suspicious files
- Automated malware scanning in CI/CD
- File integrity monitoring
- Ransomware detection signals
- Threat intelligence integration
- Incident response coordination
- False positive management
- Malware signature updates
- Post-remediation validation
Module 10. CIS Control 9: Limitation and Control of Network Ports, Protocols, and Services
Engineer network security through configuration, not just firewall rules, enforce least-privilege communication by design.
12 chapters in this module
- Identifying authorized services
- Port and protocol inventory
- Default-deny network policies
- Service discovery automation
- Micro-segmentation principles
- Firewall rule standardization
- Monitoring unauthorized traffic
- Network configuration templates
- Service deprecation workflows
- Encrypted traffic inspection
- Zero-trust alignment
- Audit trail for network changes
Module 11. CIS Control 10: Data Recovery
Ensure systems can recover from compromise with engineered, tested, and automated recovery workflows.
12 chapters in this module
- Defining backup scope and frequency
- Automated backup verification
- Immutable backup storage
- Air-gapped backup strategies
- Recovery playbook development
- Tabletop recovery testing
- Backup encryption
- Ransomware recovery planning
- Versioned restore points
- Integration with orchestration tools
- Recovery SLAs
- Post-recovery validation
Module 12. CIS Control 11: Secure Authentication
Implement strong, phishing-resistant authentication across systems, engineered for usability and resilience.
12 chapters in this module
- Enforcing multi-factor authentication
- Phishing-resistant MFA methods
- Single sign-on integration
- Passwordless authentication
- FIDO2 and WebAuthn adoption
- Session timeout policies
- Credential vaulting
- Authentication logging
- User provisioning workflows
- Recovery access controls
- Device-based authentication
- Audit trail for authentication events
How this maps to your situation
- When onboarding new systems
- Before audit cycles
- During incident response
- When negotiating vendor contracts
Before vs. after
Before
Compliance feels like an audit-driven chore, something that happens after the code ships.
After
You lead compliance through architecture, shaping engagements before they land on your desk.
What's included with your purchase
- 12 modules with 12 chapters each (144 chapters)
- Downloadable templates and worked examples for every module
- Hand-built implementation playbook delivered alongside course access
- 30-day money-back guarantee
Delivery and format
- Course and learning environment access provisioned within 24 hours of purchase
- Hand-built implementation playbook delivered alongside course access
Format: Text-based modules and chapters in the Art of Service learning environment, plus downloadable templates and worked examples for every chapter, plus the hand-built implementation playbook delivered alongside course access.
Time investment: Approximately 3 hours per week for 12 weeks. Designed for working engineers.
If nothing changes
Engineers who don’t own compliance narratives become order-takers, not influencers. The most strategic work flows to those who speak the language of risk, controls, and resilience.
How this compares to the alternatives
Unlike generic compliance overviews or auditor-focused courses, this is built for engineers who ship systems. No theory without implementation. Every module ends with code snippets, configuration templates, and integration blueprints.
Frequently asked
Is this course technical or policy-focused?
Entirely technical. Every control is taught through implementation, code, config, pipelines, not just policy.
How is the course structured?
12 modules, each containing 12 chapters (144 chapters total).
Will this help me pass an audit?
Yes, by teaching you how to build systems that generate audit-ready artefacts automatically.
$199 one-time. Approximately 3 hours per week for 12 weeks. Designed for working engineers..
Within 24 hours your account in the learning environment is provisioned and the tailored implementation playbook is delivered alongside it.
30-day money-back guarantee·
144 chapters·
Hand-built playbook included·
Account access within 24 hours