August 19, 2024

We’re excited to announce the release of the CIS® FreeBSD 14 Benchmark, a comprehensive guide designed to help you configure your FreeBSD systems securely and efficiently. Developed by a team of security specialists at the Center for Internet Security (CIS), this Benchmark provides consensus-based, best-practice guidelines to safeguard your systems against evolving threats.

FreeBSD is renowned for its performance, advanced networking capabilities, and robust security features, making it a top choice for organizations worldwide. However, like all enterprise systems, proper configuration is essential to maximize security and performance. This new CIS Benchmark covers critical areas, including:

  • User and Group Management: Secure user accounts and groups with best-practice guidelines.
  • Service Configurations: Recommendations for securely configuring essential services.
  • File System and Permissions: Best practices for managing file system security and permissions.
  • Network Configuration: Tips for securing network settings to protect against unauthorized access and attacks.
  • Audit and Logging: Instructions on setting up robust logging and auditing to monitor system activity.

This Benchmark is a valuable resource for system administrators, security auditors, and organizations that must comply with industry standards and regulations. We encourage the FreeBSD community to provide feedback and contribute to the ongoing refinement of these guidelines. Security is most effective when it’s a collaborative effort, and we look forward to seeing how the community will leverage and expand upon this new resource.

We would like to extend our deepest gratitude to the FreeBSD community for their significant contributions to this Benchmark. Special thanks go to Benchmark Writer Moin Rahman, Editor Carole Fennelly, Reviewers Jason Kafer and Rick Miller, Program Manager Joe Mingrone, as well as Justin Brown and Eric Pinnell at CIS. We also thank Verisign for underwriting part of the cost of creating the CIS FreeBSD 14 Benchmark and the generous donors to the FreeBSD Foundation for supporting the remainder.

You can find the CIS FreeBSD 14 Benchmark in the OPERATING SYSTEMS category on the CIS website. 

Download it today and take the first step toward securing your FreeBSD systems.