Best Practices for Hardening OS Settings

B.

To ensure that the OS settings are hardened, the BEST way is to use a configuration compliance scanner (option B).

A configuration compliance scanner is a tool that checks the settings of a system against a predefined standard or configuration baseline. It identifies the deviations from the standard and generates a report of non-compliant settings. This report can be used to fix the deviations and ensure that the system is configured according to the required standard.

Using a vulnerability scanner (option A) is not the best way to harden the OS settings. A vulnerability scanner is a tool that identifies the vulnerabilities in the system, but it does not provide guidance on how to configure the system to prevent those vulnerabilities.

Using a passive, in-line scanner (option C) is not appropriate for this task. A passive, in-line scanner is a tool that monitors network traffic for security events but does not check the system's settings.

Using a protocol analyzer (option D) is not an effective way to harden the OS settings. A protocol analyzer is a tool that captures and analyzes network traffic. It does not provide information about the system's settings or how to configure the system according to a standard.

In summary, the BEST way to ensure that the OS settings are hardened is to use a configuration compliance scanner.