William M. answered 12/30/25
Retired Cybersecurity Executive with 35 yrs of experience
A few steps to harden computer networks involves
- Configuring firewalls correctly and pruning rules (preferably every quarter),
- Regularly monitoring CVE's and updating security patches for switches and other network devices,
- Managing IAM user permissions (setting permissions on auto-expire and auto-review works best),
- Monitoring network traffic for suspicious activities,
- Monitoring, scanning and closing unused ports and encrypting data flows,
- If possible, setting up Zero Trust within the whole network inward and outward with practical and sustainable rules, which - while laborious and difficult to implement, can be the touchstone for ultimate network hardening.