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Repeatable security hardening playbooks that compound across systems with CIS Controls

$199.00
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A tailored course, built for your situation

Repeatable security hardening playbooks that compound across systems with CIS Controls

Build a living library of hardened configurations that accelerate every new deployment

$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.

Who this is for

Senior system administrator embedding compliance into infrastructure delivery

Who this is not for

Those looking for high-level policy theory or auditor-facing documentation only

What you walk away with

  • A versioned library of CIS Controls-aligned hardening scripts for Linux systems
  • Template-driven audit evidence that pulls configuration history automatically
  • Faster onboarding of new systems using pre-validated security baselines
  • Reduced audit preparation time by reusing documented control justifications
  • Increased influence in security design reviews due to reusable, field-tested artefacts

The 12 modules (with all 144 chapters)

Module 1. Mapping CIS Controls to Linux system hardening priorities
Focus your effort on the highest-impact controls for Linux environments with real-world breach data to justify emphasis.
12 chapters in this module
  1. CIS Control 1 inventory fundamentals
  2. Authentication baseline settings
  3. Service disablement by default
  4. File permission standards
  5. User account lifecycle rules
  6. SSH configuration guardrails
  7. Sudo access logging
  8. Auditd rule templates
  9. Log rotation settings
  10. Network service minimization
  11. Time synchronization compliance
  12. Secure boot configuration
Module 2. Building your first repeatable hardening script
Create a Bash-based automation that applies baseline settings and logs compliance status for future reference.
12 chapters in this module
  1. Script structure overview
  2. Idempotent configuration checks
  3. Logging each change
  4. Exit code conventions
  5. Pre-execution backups
  6. Post-run verification
  7. Version tagging method
  8. Error handling pattern
  9. User feedback output
  10. Integration with change tracking
  11. CIS Control tagging
  12. Supporting documentation linkage
Module 3. Versioning configurations as living assets
Treat hardening scripts like code: track changes, justify deviations, and enable team reuse.
12 chapters in this module
  1. Git repository setup
  2. Commit message standards
  3. Branching for environments
  4. Tagging releases
  5. Change justification log
  6. Peer review workflow
  7. Rollback procedures
  8. Ownership assignment
  9. Cross-team access model
  10. Dependency tracking
  11. Changelog generation
  12. Integration with ticketing
Module 4. Embedding audit evidence into execution logs
Generate automatically verifiable records showing how and when controls were applied.
12 chapters in this module
  1. Timestamped action logging
  2. Configuration drift detection
  3. User who ran script
  4. Host identification
  5. Control-to-script mapping
  6. Evidence retention policy
  7. Log integrity verification
  8. Automated summary reports
  9. CIS Control crosswalk
  10. Audit readiness checklist
  11. Retention period alignment
  12. Log signing method
Module 5. Scaling playbooks across environment tiers
Adapt base hardening for dev, staging, and production with safe variation controls.
12 chapters in this module
  1. Environment classification
  2. Permitted deviation registry
  3. Approval workflow for exceptions
  4. Configuration templating
  5. Parameterized scripts
  6. Validation across tiers
  7. Promotion gates
  8. Drift alert thresholds
  9. Baseline update cycle
  10. Change window coordination
  11. Rollback validation
  12. Tier-specific logging
Module 6. Documenting control rationale for faster peer review
Include justification notes that survive team changes and speed up future audits.
12 chapters in this module
  1. Rationale template design
  2. Historical breach references
  3. Regulatory alignment notes
  4. Vendor guidance citations
  5. Internal incident links
  6. Risk acceptance context
  7. Alternative evaluation log
  8. Change impact summaries
  9. Lessons learned section
  10. Cross-reference index
  11. Searchable documentation
  12. Ownership traceability
Module 7. Integrating with change management systems
Link playbook runs to change tickets so compliance becomes part of standard workflow.
12 chapters in this module
  1. Ticketing system integration
  2. Pre-change validation
  3. Automated ticket updates
  4. Change advisory board inputs
  5. Post-implementation review sync
  6. Rollback documentation
  7. Outage window mapping
  8. Approval chain linkage
  9. Stakeholder notification
  10. Audit trail correlation
  11. Exception tracking
  12. Status dashboard
Module 8. Creating self-documenting configurations
Build scripts that generate their own compliance narratives for auditors and peers.
12 chapters in this module
  1. Inline comment standards
  2. Control mapping syntax
  3. Version history inclusion
  4. Responsible engineer tag
  5. Last review timestamp
  6. Automated report generation
  7. Human-readable summaries
  8. Machine-parseable output
  9. Evidence attachment
  10. Deviation justification
  11. Standard reference linking
  12. Support contact info
Module 9. Building cross-system consistency with profile templates
Define standardized images that bake in compliance from the start.
12 chapters in this module
  1. Base image selection
  2. Profile definition
  3. Template validation
  4. Approved software list
  5. Patch level standards
  6. Secure defaults enforcement
  7. Template approval workflow
  8. Image promotion process
  9. Vulnerability baseline
  10. Golden image maintenance
  11. Decommissioning process
  12. Template version history
Module 10. Measuring compounding impact over time
Track how much time and risk your growing library removes from each new deployment.
12 chapters in this module
  1. Baseline setup time tracking
  2. Rework reduction metrics
  3. Audit finding trends
  4. Peer review cycle time
  5. Deployment velocity
  6. Incident linkage analysis
  7. Control coverage growth
  8. Knowledge retention index
  9. Exception rate trend
  10. Team adoption rate
  11. Cost per deployment
  12. Value per playbook reuse
Module 11. Sharing playbooks beyond your immediate team
Position your work as the standard others adopt, increasing your influence.
12 chapters in this module
  1. Internal documentation site
  2. Workshop facilitation
  3. Feedback collection
  4. Standardization proposal
  5. Cross-team alignment
  6. Training material development
  7. Adoption incentives
  8. Success story compilation
  9. Leadership communication
  10. Lessons learned sharing
  11. Mentorship integration
  12. Community of practice
Module 12. Maintaining playbooks through infrastructure changes
Keep your library relevant as systems evolve and threats shift.
12 chapters in this module
  1. Review cycle establishment
  2. Threat intelligence integration
  3. Control update process
  4. Stakeholder feedback loop
  5. Version deprecation
  6. Breaking change protocol
  7. User impact assessment
  8. Migration planning
  9. Deprecation notice
  10. Archival process
  11. Successor identification
  12. Historical access

How this maps to your situation

  • When hardening a new Linux server
  • Before an internal compliance review
  • After a security audit finding
  • During team knowledge transfer

Before vs. after

Before
Starting from scratch each time, with tribal knowledge and inconsistent documentation
After
Leveraging a growing library of proven, versioned configurations that speed every new delivery

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: 12 hours of self-paced learning, with implementation steps designed to fit around live work.

If nothing changes
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How this compares to the alternatives

Unlike generic security courses, this focuses on repeatable, field-tested Linux hardening patterns tied directly to CIS Controls, so you build value that compounds across deployments, not just one-off knowledge.

Frequently asked

How is the course structured?
12 modules, each containing 12 chapters (144 chapters total).
Will this work for my current Linux distribution?
Yes, the principles apply across RHEL, CentOS, and Ubuntu, with examples tailored to enterprise environments.
Do I need scripting experience?
Basic shell scripting helps but isn’t required, the course builds up from fundamentals.
$199 one-time. 12 hours of self-paced learning, with implementation steps designed to fit around live work..

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
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