What is CIS Benchmarks?
A definition, and how it applies in practice.
CIS Benchmarks are consensus-developed secure configuration baselines published by the Center for Internet Security, covering cloud providers, operating systems, and platforms with specific, checkable settings and recommended values.
In depth
Understanding CIS Benchmarks
The value of a CIS Benchmark is that it is specific. Rather than a principle like 'enforce least privilege', it states a checkable condition — root account MFA enabled, CloudTrail on in all regions, no security group allowing ingress from 0.0.0.0/0 to port 22 — each with a rationale and remediation steps.
For cloud, the Foundations benchmarks are the common starting point: CIS AWS Foundations, CIS Azure Foundations, CIS GCP Foundations, and CIS Kubernetes. Each is versioned, and versions differ enough that a score is only meaningful next to the version it was measured against.
Because the checks are concrete, benchmark results map cleanly onto the secure-configuration controls that SOC 2, ISO 27001, and PCI DSS all require, which is why benchmark grading tends to be the backbone of cloud compliance evidence.
In RedStrike
How RedStrike handles CIS Benchmarks
Every cloud account RedStrike audits is graded against CIS Foundations benchmarks — AWS, Azure, and GCP — with the CIS Kubernetes benchmark for clusters. This is the one layer of cloud coverage that is symmetric across providers; framework-labelled rulesets beyond CIS are available on AWS only.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Common questions about CIS Benchmarks.
Does a perfect CIS score mean I am secure?
No. It means your cloud configuration matches a consensus baseline. It says nothing about your application's logic, your code, your people, or an attacker who arrives with valid credentials. It is a floor, and a useful one, not a ceiling.
Which CIS benchmark version should I measure against?
The most recent one your tooling supports, and consistently. Comparing a score measured against one version with a score measured against another is not a comparison — the checks differ.
See CIS Benchmarks in practice
Run continuous, verified security testing across your applications, APIs, and cloud accounts.