Resources
This page collects references and practical tools that KW Cybersecurity uses and recommends. They are short-listed for small and mid-sized organisations, and are suitable for both internal IT teams as well as external partners.
Linux and server security
- CIS Linux Benchmarks – industry-recognised hardening guidance for multiple Linux distributions, often used in compliance audits.
- Lynis – open-source auditing and hardening tool for Linux and Unix, useful for baselining servers and tracking improvements over time.
- Red Hat Security Documentation – official guidance for securing RHEL and related enterprise Linux environments.
UK SME security guidance
- NCSC Small Business Guide – Cyber Security – concise, practical guidance suitable for SME environments.
- NCSC guidance for small and medium-sized organisations – up-to-date advice, alerts and how-to material from the UK National Cyber Security Centre.
- Cyber Essentials – UK government-backed scheme defining a basic security baseline and certification route.
Security frameworks and references
- CIS Critical Security Controls – a prioritised set of controls for practical security uplift.
- NIST Cybersecurity Framework – widely adopted risk-based framework based on identify, protect, detect, respond and recover.
- ISO/IEC 27001 overview – the international standard for information security management systems.
Monitoring, logging and detection
- Wazuh – open-source SIEM/XDR-style platform providing log aggregation, file integrity monitoring, vulnerability detection and alerting.
- Elastic / OpenSearch SIEM – log search and analytics platforms supporting dashboards and detection rules.
In many cybersecurity implementations, a key objective is simply to ensure that important events are logged, retained and visible, even before deploying a full SIEM.
Cloud and SaaS security
- AWS Security Hub – consolidated security and compliance visibility for AWS environments.
- AWS Well-Architected – Security Pillar – design principles for secure cloud architectures.
- Cloud Security Alliance (CSA) – independent research and best practice for cloud security.
Practical tools and utilities
- Shodan – search engine for exposed internet-connected services. Useful for understanding external attack surfaces.
- Qualys SSL Labs – Server Test – evaluates public TLS/SSL configurations and identifies misconfigurations.
- Have I Been Pwned – checks whether email addresses appear in known breach datasets.
- VirusTotal – aggregates antivirus and threat intelligence engines to analyse suspicious files or URLs.
How KW Cybersecurity uses these resources
These references are provided for your convenience and for your internal IT team. KW Cybersecurity is independent and vendor-neutral – there are no reseller relationships or commercial incentives behind any recommendation.
During consulting engagements, these frameworks and tools are used to:
- Assess your current position against recognised good practice.
- Prioritise improvements that give the best risk reduction for the least disruption.
- Provide clear, auditable evidence of security improvements.
If you would like to discuss how these resources apply to your own environment, the simplest starting point is a short discovery call.
Baseline Security Sprint Book a discovery call