What is Cisco AutoSecure and what are the basic security steps for any operating system?

AutoSecure is a Cisco router feature that auto-applies security settings; basic OS steps are: change defaults, restrict access, disable unused services, and patch before deployment.

When any operating system is first installed, its settings default to convenience, not security — which is exactly what an attacker counts on. Cisco AutoSecure is a one-command router feature that helps by automatically applying a baseline of hardening settings, so an administrator does not have to remember every step by hand. The same baseline applies to any operating system, and boils down to four habits:

1. Change default usernames and passwords immediately — published defaults are the first thing attackers try.
2. Restrict access to system resources to authorised individuals only.
3. Turn off and uninstall unnecessary services and applications, since each one is a potential way in.
4. Update software and install security patches before deployment — devices shipped from a warehouse may have sat for months with out-of-date, vulnerable patches.

Go deeper:

• Hardening (computing) — Wikipedia — the same baseline AutoSecure automates: change defaults, remove unneeded software, disable unused services, patch.