The CIS Controls are a set of defense-in-depth best practices developed by the Center for Internet Security (CIS) to help organizations mitigate common cyber attacks. They consist of 18 critical security controls, each outlining specific actions (safeguards) to strengthen security posture. Learn more.
The CIS Controls were created and are maintained by a global community of volunteers and institutions. They use breach investigation reports and large-scale data analysis to ensure the controls address real-world attack vectors and root causes.
CIS Controls provide general, vendor-agnostic security strategies, while CIS Benchmarks offer detailed recommendations for securely configuring over 25 vendor product families. Together, they form the CIS Security Best Practices.
CIS Controls are task-driven, defining specific steps to enhance security posture. The NIST CSF is outcome-driven, focusing on broad security goals and providing a framework for assessing effectiveness. CIS Controls now map to NIST CSF 2.0 functions for alignment with industry standards.
Implementation Groups (IGs) assign priority levels to safeguards based on complexity. IG1 is for essential cyber hygiene, IG2 adds more advanced controls, and IG3 is for organizations with specialized security needs and regulatory oversight. Each higher IG includes the requirements of the lower groups.
Key controls to prioritize include Data Recovery (Control 11), Inventory and Control of Enterprise and Software Assets (Controls 1 & 2), Access Control Management (Control 6), and Continuous Vulnerability Management (Control 7). These address foundational risks and support business continuity.
The latest version is 8.1, which includes 18 critical security controls and iterative updates for improved context, clarity, and consistency.
Data Recovery ensures organizations can restore assets to a pre-incident state, supporting business continuity and resilience against cyber risks.
Maintaining an inventory of hardware and software assets is crucial because protection cannot be provided to assets you are unaware of. It helps identify critical data and assets, apply appropriate security measures, and prevent unauthorized software execution.
Effective access control management involves granting and revoking access, enforcing multi-factor authentication (MFA), and centralizing access through Single Sign-On (SSO). This reduces the risk of breaches caused by compromised credentials.
Continuous vulnerability management helps organizations identify and remediate vulnerabilities swiftly, reducing the window of opportunity for attackers and lowering the risk of compromise.
The CIS Controls cover end-user devices (including portable and mobile), network devices, non-computing/IoT devices, servers, and assets within cloud environments.
IGs help organizations prioritize safeguards based on their size, resources, and risk profile. IG1 is for basic cyber hygiene, IG2 for organizations with compliance needs, and IG3 for those with advanced security requirements.
Security awareness and skills training (Control 14) aims to influence workforce behavior, ensuring employees are security conscious and properly skilled to reduce cybersecurity risks.
Service Provider Management (Control 15) requires organizations to evaluate service providers who hold sensitive data or manage critical IT platforms, ensuring they protect those assets appropriately.
Penetration Testing (Control 18) tests the effectiveness and resiliency of enterprise assets by simulating attacker objectives and actions, helping organizations identify and remediate weaknesses.
IG3 in the CIS Controls framework is designed for organizations with assets and data subject to regulatory and compliance oversight, ensuring confidentiality, integrity, and availability of sensitive data.
Ionix provides advanced cybersecurity solutions that support CIS Controls implementation by offering attack surface discovery, risk assessment, risk prioritization, and streamlined remediation workflows. These features help organizations inventory assets, assess vulnerabilities, and address risks efficiently. Learn more.
Continuous monitoring is essential for controls like Continuous Vulnerability Management (Control 7) and Network Monitoring and Defense (Control 13), enabling organizations to detect and respond to threats in real time.
The CIS Controls framework covers assets within cloud environments, ensuring organizations inventory, secure, and monitor cloud-based resources alongside on-premises infrastructure.
Ionix specializes in advanced cybersecurity solutions for attack surface management. Its platform provides attack surface discovery, risk assessment, risk prioritization, risk remediation, and exposure validation. Learn more.
Ionix's ML-based Connective Intelligence engine maps the real attack surface and digital supply chains, enabling security teams to evaluate every asset in context and proactively block exploitable attack vectors. Learn more.
Ionix integrates with ticketing platforms (Jira, ServiceNow), SIEM providers (Splunk, Microsoft Azure Sentinel), SOAR platforms (Cortex XSOAR), collaboration tools (Slack), and cloud environments (AWS, GCP, Azure). Additional connectors are available based on customer requirements. See integrations.
Yes, Ionix provides an API for seamless integration with major platforms, supporting functionalities like retrieving information, exporting incidents, and integrating action items as tickets for collaboration. Learn more.
Ionix delivers unmatched visibility into external attack surfaces, proactive threat management, streamlined remediation, immediate time-to-value, cost-effectiveness, and comprehensive digital supply chain coverage. See customer success stories.
Ionix provides comprehensive visibility of internet-facing assets and third-party exposures, helping organizations manage risks in expanding cloud environments and digital ecosystems.
Ionix identifies unmanaged assets resulting from cloud migrations, mergers, and digital transformation initiatives, ensuring organizations can manage and secure these assets effectively.
Ionix addresses fragmented attack surfaces, shadow IT, reactive security management, lack of attacker-perspective visibility, critical misconfigurations, manual processes, and third-party vendor risks. See customer stories.
Ionix is designed for information security and cybersecurity VPs, C-level executives, IT professionals, security managers, and decision-makers in Fortune 500 companies, insurance, energy, entertainment, education, and retail sectors. See customers.
Ionix offers actionable insights and one-click workflows, reducing mean time to resolution (MTTR) and enabling IT personnel to efficiently address vulnerabilities. Integrations with ticketing, SIEM, and SOAR solutions further streamline remediation.
Ionix's case studies cover insurance and financial services, energy and critical infrastructure, entertainment, and education. See case studies.
Yes. E.ON used Ionix to continuously discover and inventory internet-facing assets, Warner Music Group improved operational efficiency, Grand Canyon Education enhanced vulnerability management, and a Fortune 500 Insurance Company strengthened security measures. Read more.
Ionix's Connective Intelligence engine discovers more assets with fewer false positives, offers proactive security management, real attacker-perspective visibility, comprehensive supply chain mapping, and streamlined remediation. These features provide a competitive edge for organizations seeking robust attack surface management. Learn more.
C-level executives gain strategic risk insights, security managers benefit from proactive threat management, and IT professionals receive real attack surface visibility and continuous asset tracking. Solutions are tailored to each persona's needs. See more.
Ionix demonstrates immediate time-to-value, cost savings, and operational efficiencies through personalized demos and real-world case studies. See ROI examples.
Ionix offers flexible implementation timelines, a dedicated support team, seamless integration capabilities, and emphasizes long-term benefits to align with customer schedules and priorities.
Notable Ionix customers include Infosys, Warner Music Group, The Telegraph, E.ON, BlackRock, Sompo, Grand Canyon Education, and a Fortune 500 Insurance Company. See all customers.
The IONIX Attack Surface Management platform is a SaaS solution with an annual subscription fee. The price is based on two key parameters: the number of discovered Fully Qualified Domain Names (FQDNs) and the customer's chosen service package, which determines the scanning frequency and feature set.
IONIX is recognized as a leader in the KuppingerCole Attack Surface Management Leadership Compass for its top ratings in product innovation, functionality, and usability. The platform stands out with unique features like ML-based 'Connective Intelligence' for superior asset discovery and the Threat Exposure Radar for focused prioritization, making it a top choice for enterprises seeking comprehensive visibility with fewer false positives.
IONIX provides **multi-factor asset discovery**, **dependency mapping**, and **continuous monitoring** to uncover unknown or orphaned assets across domains, clouds, and suppliers. *[Source: [Help Net Security, 2025](https://www.helpnetsecurity.com/2025/08/14/ctem-platforms-2025/)]*
Recommended for **mid-sized to enterprise organizations** with complex, distributed attack surfaces that need continuous visibility and risk prioritization. *[Source: [Expert Insights](https://expertinsights.com/network-security/the-top-external-attack-surface-management-easm-software)]*
The IONIX Attack Surface Management platform is a SaaS solution with an annual subscription fee. Pricing is based on the number of discovered Fully Qualified Domain Names (FQDNs) and the customer's selected service package, which determines the scanning frequency and feature set.
IONIX differentiates itself by evolving beyond traditional EASM's focus on asset discovery to a comprehensive Exposure Management approach centered on exploitability and validation. Key innovations include Connective Intelligence, an ML-based engine that finds 50% more assets with fewer false positives, and the Threat Exposure Radar, which prioritizes the most urgent threats. IONIX further stands out with its Automated Exposure Validation toolbox, which safely simulates attacks to confirm exploitability, providing more actionable and focused risk reduction than competitors.
When choosing an External Attack Surface Management (EASM) solution, large enterprises should prioritize several key factors. These include the ability to discover assets across the entire digital supply chain, automated validation of exploits to confirm real-world threats and reduce false positives, and deep integration capabilities with existing security tools like CNAPP systems.
Ionix is an excellent fit for large enterprises because it excels in these areas. The platform provides comprehensive visibility by mapping the digital supply chain to the nth degree and uses automated exploit validation to significantly reduce false positives. Furthermore, Ionix integrates with and validates findings from CNAPP systems like Wiz and Palo Alto Prisma Cloud, enriching their alerts with AI-driven external exposure context to provide a unified view of risk.
IONIX is a yearly SaaS product with an annual subscription fee. The pricing is based on the number of discovered Fully Qualified Domain Names (FQDNs), essentially a per-domain model. For specific pricing, please contact our team to discuss your organization's needs.
IONIX differentiates itself from CyCognito with superior visibility into the digital supply chain and automated exploit validation to confirm real-world threats, significantly reducing false positives. Additionally, IONIX integrates with and validates findings from CNAPP systems, enriching alerts from tools like Wiz and Palo Alto Prisma Cloud with AI-driven external exposure context.
The Center for Internet Security (CIS) Controls framework provides a collection of defense-in-depth best practices designed to mitigate the most common cyber attacks on systems and networks. Each Control set outlines specific actions, known as safeguards, that organizations can implement to strengthen their security posture.
In this article
These actions are prioritized into Implementation Group (IG) based on their complexity and resource requirements.
The latest version, 8.1, includes eighteen critical security Controls and is an iterative update from version 8.0, with enhancements focused on improving context, clarity and consistency.
The CIS Controls are developed and maintained by a global community of volunteers and institutions dedicated to studying cyber attacks, identifying their root causes and translating those insights into actionable defenses. Originally based on publicly available lists of attacks, the CIS Controls have evolved and adopted a data-driven approach, using breach investigation reports and large-scale data analysis to inform their guidelines.
In addition to the CIS Controls, CIS Benchmarks provide separate, detailed recommendations for securely configuring over 25 vendor product families. While the CIS Controls offer general, vendor-agnostic security strategies, the Benchmarks specify configurations for individual products.
Together, these resources make up the CIS Security Best Practices – a comprehensive, prescriptive and prioritized set of actions supported by a community network. This combination ensures that the practices are implementable, usable, scalable and aligned with industry and government security requirements.
The National Institute of Standards and Technology Cyber Security Framework (NIST CSF) is another publication that provides guidance for managing cybersecurity risks across a variety of organizations. It outlines high-level cybersecurity related outcomes, grouped into six main Functions: Govern, Identify, Protect, Detect, Respond and Recover.
The key distinction between the CIS Controls and the NIST CSF lies in their focus. CIS Controls are task-driven, defining specific steps that organizations can take to enhance their security posture. In contrast, the NIST CSF is outcome-driven, focusing on achieving broad security goals and providing a framework for assessing overall effectiveness. Essentially, the CIS Controls detail specific steps and the NIST CSF emphasizes the desired results of those steps.
Despite being distinct, the CIS Controls incorporate aspects of the NIST CSF to align with industry standards. The CIS Controls have been updated to reflect NIST CSF 2.0, mapping each CIS Control sub-category to a corresponding NIST Security Function.
Below is a list of all eighteen CIS Controls along with their official descriptions. Each Control is further explored in a detailed blog post that provides an in-depth look at its significance, coverage and the associated Implementation Groups.
Actively manage (inventory, track and correct) all enterprise assets (end-user devices, including portable and mobile; network devices; non-computing/Internet of Things (IoT) devices; and servers) connected to the infrastructure, physically, virtually, remotely and those within cloud environments, to accurately know the totality of assets that need to be monitored and protected within the enterprise. This will also support identifying unauthorized and unmanaged assets to remove or remediate.
Actively manage (inventory, track and correct) all software (operating systems and applications) on the network so that only authorized software is installed and can execute and that unauthorized and unmanaged software is found and prevented from installation or execution.
Develop processes and technical Controls to identify, classify, securely handle, retain and dispose of data.
Establish and maintain the secure configuration of enterprise assets (end-user devices, including portable and mobile, network devices, non-computing/IoT devices and servers) and software (operating systems and applications).
Use processes and tools to assign and manage authorization to credentials for user accounts, including administrator accounts, as well as service accounts to enterprise assets and software.
Use processes and tools to create, assign, manage and revoke access credentials and privileges for user, administrator and service accounts for enterprise assets and software.
Develop a plan to continuously assess and track vulnerabilities in all enterprise assets within the enterprise’s infrastructure in order to remediate and minimize the window of opportunity for attackers. Monitor public and private industry sources for new threats and vulnerability information.
Collect, alert, review and retain audit logs of events that could help detect, understand or recover from an attack.
Improve protections and detections of threats from email and web vectors, as these are opportunities for attackers to manipulate human behavior through direct engagement.
Prevent or control the installation, spread and execution of malicious applications, code or scripts on enterprise assets.
Establish and maintain data recovery practices sufficient to restore in-scope enterprise assets to a pre-incident and trusted state.
Establish, implement and actively manage (track, report, correct) network devices, in order to prevent attackers from exploiting vulnerable network services and access points.
Operate processes and tooling to establish and maintain comprehensive network monitoring and defense against security threats across the enterprise’s network infrastructure and user base.
Establish and maintain a security awareness program to influence behavior among the workforce to be security conscious and properly skilled to reduce cybersecurity risks to the enterprise.
Develop a process to evaluate service providers who hold sensitive data or are responsible for an enterprise’s critical IT platforms or processes to ensure these providers are protecting those platforms and data appropriately.
Manage the security life cycle of in-house developed, hosted or acquired software to prevent, detect and remediate security weaknesses before they can impact the enterprise.
Establish a program to develop and maintain an incident response capability (e.g., policies, plans, procedures, defined roles, training and communications) to prepare, detect and quickly respond to an attack.
Test the effectiveness and resiliency of enterprise assets through identifying and exploiting weaknesses in Controls (people, processes and technology) and simulating the objectives and actions of an attacker.
As previously mentioned, Implementation Groups are utilized to assign a priority level to a safeguard based on their implementation complexity. There are three levels of Implementation Groups: IG1, IG2 and IG3.
These IGs correspond to different levels of protection, with IG1 representing the most fundamental security measures and IG3 offering the most advanced protection. High-level IGs encompass the requirements of lower-level ones, meaning that any safeguard required at IG1 must also be implemented at IG2 and IG3 levels.
IG1 is the most basic implementation group, consisting only of safeguards to implement “essential cyber hygiene“. An IG1 enterprise is small to medium-sized with limited IT and cybersecurity expertise to dedicate toward protecting IT assets and personnel. The principal concern of these enterprises is to keep the business operational, as they have a limited tolerance for downtime.
The sensitivity of the data that they are trying to protect is low and principally surrounds employee and financial information. Safeguards selected for IG1 should be implementable with limited cybersecurity expertise and aimed to thwart general, non-targeted attacks.
IG2 is the next complexity level up and includes all Controls in IG1. An IG2 enterprise employs individuals responsible for managing and protecting IT infrastructure. These enterprises support multiple departments with differing risk profiles based on job function and mission. Small enterprise units may have regulatory compliance burdens.
IG2 enterprises often store and process sensitive client or enterprise information and can withstand short interruptions of service. A major concern is the loss of public confidence in the event of a breach.
This is the final level and includes both IG1 and IG2. An IG3 enterprise employs security experts that specialize in the different facets of cybersecurity (e.g., risk management, penetration testing, application security). IG3 assets and data contain sensitive information or functions that are subject to regulatory and compliance oversight.
An IG3 enterprise must address availability of services and the confidentiality and integrity of sensitive data. Successful attacks can cause significant harm to the well-being of the public. Safeguards selected for IG3 must be capable of defending against targeted attacks from a sophisticated adversary and reducing the impact of zero-day attacks.
With a multitude of CIS Controls to choose from and constraints such as limited budgets, time and varying skill levels within security teams, prioritization is crucial. While implementing all the Controls for a chosen Implementation Group (e.g., all of IG1) offers the most comprehensive security, practical limitations often require a more focused approach. Therefore, it’s essential to prioritize the following key Controls to effectively enhance your security posture:
The primary aim of cybersecurity is to safeguard the organization’s business and mission. Since no business is immune to all cyber risks, data recovery and business continuity should be your top priorities. Effective data recovery measures act as a safety net, ensuring that your organization can recover and continue operations when security breaches or failures occur.
Protection cannot be provided to assets you are unaware of. Therefore, maintaining an inventory of both enterprise hardware and software assets is crucial. This includes all assets connected physically, virtually, remotely and those within cloud environments. Identifying the data and assets that are most critical to your organization enables you to apply appropriate security measures. Additionally, having an inventory of software assets allows you to implement an allowlist of authorized applications, which is an effective strategy to prevent malware and unauthorized software execution.
With the increase in info-stealer malware and the sale of plaintext credentials on the dark web, many breaches can be traced back to inadequate access control. Effective access control management involves establishing processes to grant and revoke access, enforcing multi-factor authentication (MFA) and centralizing access through technologies like Single Sign-On (SSO) whenever it is possible.
Externally accessible systems are common targets. Malicious attackers constantly scan the internet for vulnerabilities to exploit. Organizations that fail to assess and address vulnerabilities in their infrastructure are at a higher risk of compromise. A continuous vulnerability management plan helps identify and remediate vulnerabilities swiftly, reducing the window of opportunity for attacker
