What should you do with services, protocols, daemons, etc., on a system?

What should you do with services, protocols, daemons, etc., on a system?

• A. Enable only necessary services, protocols, and daemons
• B. Disable all services to be safe
• C. Enable only security-related services
• D. Enable only the services required for the system's function

Answer: (A)

Minimize the system’s exposure by running only what is actually needed. You should enable only the necessary services, protocols, and daemons so the system has just the components it requires to function. Each active service or daemon can open ports or provide pathways for attackers, and unnecessary protocols can introduce misconfigurations or vulnerabilities. By auditing and disabling everything that isn’t essential, you reduce the attack surface and simplify monitoring and defense. Some stronger-sounding alternatives miss important parts: disabling all services would break functionality, and focusing only on security-related services can ignore other required components. Enabling only the services required for the system’s function is close, but the broader guidance to include all relevant items—services, protocols, and daemons—ensures a truly hardened, minimal configuration.

Minimize the system’s exposure by running only what is actually needed. You should enable only the necessary services, protocols, and daemons so the system has just the components it requires to function. Each active service or daemon can open ports or provide pathways for attackers, and unnecessary protocols can introduce misconfigurations or vulnerabilities. By auditing and disabling everything that isn’t essential, you reduce the attack surface and simplify monitoring and defense. Some stronger-sounding alternatives miss important parts: disabling all services would break functionality, and focusing only on security-related services can ignore other required components. Enabling only the services required for the system’s function is close, but the broader guidance to include all relevant items—services, protocols, and daemons—ensures a truly hardened, minimal configuration.