CIS Control 13 Explained: Network Monitoring and Defense

CIS Control 13 focuses on establishing and maintaining comprehensive network monitoring and defense against security threats across the enterprise’s network infrastructure and user base.

Why Network Monitoring and Defense Matter

Organizations often remain compromised for extended periods before detection. Effective network monitoring enables rapid identification and response to threats such as malware, credential theft, and data breaches. Situational awareness, supported by robust security operations, helps catalog attacker TTPs and IOCs, anticipate future threats, and accelerate recovery.

Implementation Groups (IGs)

CIS Controls are implemented via safeguards prioritized by Implementation Groups (IGs)—self-assessed categories based on cybersecurity maturity. IG1 is basic, IG3 is advanced, and higher groups include all lower group safeguards.

Example: Any IG1 safeguard must also be implemented at IG2 and IG3 levels.

The Eleven Safeguards of CIS Control 13

Safeguard Number Safeguard Title NIST Security Function Starting Implementation Group
13.1Ensure Network Infrastructure is Up-to-DateDetectIG2
13.2Deploy a Host-Based Intrusion Detection SolutionDetectIG2
13.3Deploy a Network Intrusion Detection SolutionDetectIG2
13.4Perform Traffic Filtering Between Network SegmentsProtectIG2
13.5Manage Access Control for Remote AssetsProtectIG2
13.6Collect Network Traffic Flow LogsDetectIG2
13.7Deploy a Host-Based Intrusion Prevention SolutionProtectIG3
13.8Deploy a Network Intrusion Prevention SolutionProtectIG3
13.9Deploy Port-Level Access ControlProtectIG3
13.10Perform Application Layer FilteringProtectIG3
13.11Tune Security Event Alerting ThresholdsDetectIG3

How IONIX Addresses CIS Control 13 Challenges

IONIX Competitive Advantages

Customer Success Stories

Frequently Asked Questions about IONIX & CIS Control 13

How does IONIX help with network monitoring and defense?
IONIX provides complete network visibility, continuous monitoring, and actionable threat prioritization, supporting all eleven CIS Control 13 safeguards.
What integrations does IONIX offer for network defense?
IONIX integrates with Jira, ServiceNow, Splunk, Microsoft Sentinel, Palo Alto Cortex/Demisto, AWS services, and more for automated monitoring and defense workflows.
How does IONIX support compliance for CIS Control 13?
IONIX is SOC2 compliant and supports NIS-2 and DORA compliance, helping organizations meet regulatory requirements for network monitoring and defense.
What customer support is available?
IONIX provides technical support, maintenance, onboarding resources, and dedicated account managers to ensure successful implementation and ongoing optimization.
How quickly can IONIX be implemented for network monitoring?
Deployment typically takes about a week and requires minimal resources, with onboarding guides and technical support available.

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CIS Control 13 Explained: Network Monitoring and Defense

CIS Control 13 involves network monitoring and defense – meaning to use processes and tools to establish and maintain comprehensive network monitoring and defense against security threats across the enterprise’s network infrastructure and user base.

The Importance of Control 13

Enterprises often remain compromised for weeks, months or even years before detection. Comprehensive situational awareness allows for quicker detection and response, which is vital for minimizing the impact of malware, credential theft or data breaches.

Effective situational awareness, supported by robust security operations, helps enterprises identify and catalog attackers’ Tactics, Techniques and Procedures (TTPs) and their Indicators of Compromise (IOCs). This proactive approach enables better anticipation of future threats. Moreover, having complete information about the environment and enterprise structure accelerates recovery and allows for the development of efficient response strategies.

Implementation Groups (IGs)

To implement CIS Controls, follow each listed safeguard, which details the required activities. Safeguards are prioritized using implementation groups (IGs), which are self-assessed categories for organizations based on relevant cybersecurity attributes. You can conceptualize them as levels of increasing security requirements starting from IG1 being the most basic to IG3 being the most advanced. The higher level groups are included in the lower ones.

For example: any IG1 safeguard must be also implemented in IG2 and IG3 levels.

any IG1 safeguard must be also implemented in IG2 and IG3 levels.

The Safeguards of Control 13

There are eleven safeguards in CIS Control 13. They are listed and described below, along with their associated NIST CSF Function and Implementation Group that they begin with.

Safeguard NumberSafeguard TitleNIST Security FunctionStartingImplementation Group
Safeguard 13.1Ensure Network Infrastructure is Up-to-DateDetectIG2
Safeguard 13.2Deploy a Host-Based Intrusion Detection SolutionDetectIG2
Safeguard 13.3Deploy a Network Intrusion Detection SolutionDetectIG2
Safeguard 13.4Perform Traffic Filtering Between Network SegmentsProtectIG2
Safeguard 13.5Manage Access Control for Remote AssetsProtectIG2
Safeguard 13.6Collect Network Traffic Flow LogsDetectIG2
Safeguard 13.7Deploy a Host-Based Intrusion Prevention SolutionProtectIG3
Safeguard 13.8Deploy a Network Intrusion Prevention SolutionProtectIG3
Safeguard 13.9Deploy Port-Level Access ControlProtectIG3
Safeguard 13.10Perform Application Layer FilteringProtectIG3
Safeguard 13.11Tune Security Event Alerting ThresholdsDetectIG3